Season Three, The battle with Rokador
by Twilit Phoenix
Summary: My version of the unmade third season of witch. Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin countinue their adventures against evil. They'll encounter old enemies and find a new evil which needs to be defeated in order to save their world. Can they do it?
1. The Jealous Type

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H. anything**. It's probably a good thing that I don't…

I'm hoping that this story will have better grammar then my previous Avatar story, and that it will be easy to understand. I might increase the rating for the chapters down the line for violence, but currently, it's fine. Ok so here are some things to keep in mind while reading this-

-It's based mostly off the animated cartoon series; some elements of the comics might be added, but the fact that I don't know how to get them could present a problem. (If you know where to get them please tell me.)

-The whole story will have 26 chapters; each chapter represents an episode, like on TV.

-The story starts right where the end of the episode, **Z is for Zenith,** left off.

- **(--- ---)** means I'm changing scenes/time periods, while (---) means I'm changing character perspectives, like from Will to Irma.

-_Italics_ represent thoughts and dreams, and accented words.

-I appreciate any reviews and helpful suggestions. I hope to post new chapters every few days; I hope to keep this pace as school starts too.

* * *

**Episode 1 (The Jealous Type)**

A week had passed since winter break had ended; snow still piled high from the multiple blizzards had yet to be shoveled away. The school bell buzzed ending 5th period, releasing the students of Sheffield Institute from their classes for a few minutes of freedom in the hallways. A third of the student body rejoiced, and headed towards the cafeteria to mingle with classmates and misbehave where no teachers were present. _Most_ students ate their lunches during their lunch hour, but Taranee Cook was not one of those people. The dark, skinned girl had her brown, bespectacled eyes hidden behind a large, history book.

"It's a Monday and she's _already_ studying," sighed Irma, eating the cafeteria food off her plate, "I mean we haven't even learned anything to study!"

"I don't want to miss anything on my next test in history," responded Taranee, flipping to the next page, "you should study too, you didn't too well on your last test, Irma."

"Minor setback," Irma responded. Her sarcastic smile was overlooked as her teal eyes rolled slightly with Taranee's comment.

"Last history test, Taranee only got one wrong. She wants to go for a hundred percent," smiled Hay Lin, filling in Will and Cornelia. Hay Lin smiled again, her braces flashing in the florescent light of the cafeteria.

"Cornelia, you've been really quiet for the past few days," Will said, her brown eyes flicked over Cornelia's face. The blond turned away, her blue eyes shut in defiance.

"Corny," smiled Irma, teasing her with her most hated nickname.

"Don't call me that Irma!" Cornelia shouted, "I'm still mad at all of you."

"What for?" asked Irma, pulling her brown hair into a ponytail and biting into her double, chocolate cookie, "oh…. Cornelia you can't _still_ be mad about that."

"Why not?!" exclaimed Cornelia.

"Kadma's not terribly awful to be around-" Hay Lin started to say.

"But why did she have to move into the house under me?" Cornelia asked.

"Because, we couldn't find any other houses in the city, other than in you're building. You helped us look, you know as well as I do that there were no other choices," Taranee responded as she put her textbook back into her backpack.

"But last night my mom made me go downstairs to be polite and give her a cake, as a welcome to the building type of thing," Cornelia complained.

"And what went wrong?" sighed Will. She knew Cornelia would tell them eventually, so why not get it over with.

"Well, I held the cake and followed my mom into the elevator with Lillian," Cornelia explained. The other girls put down their forks and leaned back in their chairs, bracing for a long story.

**--- ---**

The door opened a few seconds after Lillian rang the bell. Cornelia watched as the ex-guardian of earth smiled a warm welcome. Holding the cake out to her, Cornelia muttered a welcome as well. Kadma ushered them inside for just a moment and showed Cornelia where to put the cake.

"Mom, I want my room painted this color purple!" begged Lillian, pointing at the walls of Kadma's living room.

"Wow, you really do love purple, don't you think yellow or green would be more your thing," frowned Cornelia, hoping to get away from the purpleness.

"After being surrounded by purple for half my life I found I couldn't live without it," whispered Kadma to Cornelia, she looked over to Mrs. Hale, "thank you for dropping off the cake."

"You're welcome," smiled Cornelia's mother taking Lillian's hand, "if you need anything, we'll be upstairs, I'll send Cornelia down with it."

"Mom," hissed Cornelia.

"Thank you," smiled Kadma, "you'll probably hear from me simply for someone to talk to, I have nothing better to now-a-days."

"Cornelia would love to come and keep you company," laughed Lillian, dragging her mother out the door, and begging for mint ice-cream.

"Then she said she'd love to see me," said Cornelia.

"I think you're making a big deal out of nothing," frowned Irma.

"Yeah Cornelia, come on, just because you don't want to talk to her isn't an excuse to give us the silent treatment," Will said. Cornelia sat silent as if realizing her friends were right. The tension mounted for the silence to be broken until Irma spoke up.

"What do you think of your new elective, Hay Lin?" asked Irma, pushing her tray towards the end of the table.

"My painting class is the best, and my teacher is so funny," smiled Hay Lin. She pulled out her class sketch-book. "Here look". Flipping through the pages, the girls gazed at the small paintings Hay Lin had created, pausing, and admiring her still-lives the most.

"Well at least you're good at your class. Irma and I got stuck in this crazy, computer class with the new teacher," Will sighed, pushing her empty plate away.

"Computers are fun, why don't you like the class Will?" asked Taranee.

"Why aren't you taking it?" asked Will.

"I'm taking Latin instead, now why don't you like your class?" asked Taranee, she lowered her voice "You should be the best with your whole talking to electronics power."

"That's just her problem, Will and her computer aren't getting along too well," laughed Irma. The girls burst out laughing while Will crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair, letting them laugh. The bell interrupted their laughter and excused them from lunch.

"Will, wait up!" called Irma, gathering her things. Will waited for her friend at the door, and together they made their way to room 110, the computer lab. They sat down on their swivel chairs at computer numbers twenty one and twenty two, and powered them up.

"How far are you on that project that's due today?" whispered Irma as the bell rang again, ending passing period and beginning classes.

"That's due today!" cried Will. She began madly clicking the mouse and pounding the keyboard.

"If you want me to load faster, we won't get what you want _that_ way," snorted the computer. He had a nasally voice and a bad French accent.

"Shut up, you're a stupid computer," Will commanded, pointing her finger in the monitor's face, or where his face would be.

"Um, Will," Irma whispered. Will ignored her.

"I will have you know, I am the latest in computer technology!" quipped the computer.

"I don't care if you're the smartest computer in the world, load faster!" hissed Will. The computer was silent.

"Everything Ok Miss Vandom?" asked a voice from behind Will. Mr. Rafael Sila, the new computer teacher raised an eyebrow in question, "talking to your computer _again_?"

"Um, well you see," stuttered Will. Irma shoved her aside, forgetting the fact that she was sitting on a rolling chair, and sent Will accidently rolling across the room.

"Mr. Sila, Will is just really stressed, so she, um, takes it out on her computer," smiled Irma, cringing as Will hit the wall on the other side of the class room.

"Ok, I better see you two working hard on your stress management power-points then, I've extended the due date another week. Tell Will, maybe she should take notes to reduce her own stress levels," added Mr. Sila.

"I will, thank you," smiled Irma. Mr. Sila walked away to help another student, and Will rolled back to her snooty computer.

"I'm stressed?" asked Will, her lips turned up in a slight smile. Irma shrugged, turned back to her computer, and began researching her topic, aroma therapy.

After two more periods of torture, the bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Four of the five girls met outside the school under one of the new, maple trees.

"Let's go to the Silver Dragon, my grandma will probably have tea and sugar cookies," smiled Hay Lin leading the way out of the school yard.

"Sounds good, let's go!" agreed Irma.

"Wait, where's Cornelia?" asked Taranee. The four girls stopped and looked around the front of the school for their missing friend.

"There she is!" pointed Will. Four sets of eyes turned and watched their blond friend walk out the front, double doors and down the steps of the school.

"Come on Cornelia, we're going to Hay Lin's," called Irma. Cornelia glanced up at them with a smile.

"Ok, sorry I'm late, but I have great news!" said Cornelia as they walked through the school gates.

"What is it?" asked Taranee.

"Tell us!" begged Hay Lin.

"Did the math tests we took last week spontaneously combust?" joked Irma, the girls turned to Irma with confusion. "What? I did really badly on that test!"

"No Irma. It's about Elyon," Cornelia replied, "She wants to see us!"

"How do you know?" asked Will as she sidestepped around a snow-covered mailbox. The girls stopped and waited for the red light to change.

"You know Elyon and I were friends way before I met you guys, I just have this really strong feeling she wants to see us," explained Cornelia.

"Cool, so when are we going?" asked Irma.

"I have a feeling she'll give us a call," Cornelia replied. They crossed the street and walked into the Silver Dragon.

"Hello?!" Hay Lin called, pushing open the back door to the restaurant, "my parents must be up front. Grandma!"

"She's probably helping your parents, let's go downstairs," suggested Irma. She pulled off her hat and mittens and led the others into the basement. Cornelia dumped her stuff on the ground, unzipped her jacket and sat down on the small cot by the wall. Taranee sat down next to Cornelia, still undoing her long, gold scarf from her neck. Will leaned back on the chair, letting her thoughts wash over her like a gentle ocean wave.

"Ew," said Taranee, wrinkling her nose, "I think we have a visitor."

"Blunk," sighed the five guardians after a moment's thought. A beam of light shot down the stairs as the door to basement opened, allowing passage to Yan Lin, Hay Lin's grandmother. The old stairs creaked and groaned as she walked down them, carrying a plate of sugar cookies, and leading down the other visitors.

"Caleb!" smiled Cornelia, standing to greet him with a hug.

"Blond girl forget about Blunk, Blunk here too!" said the smelly, green passling.

"Oh, we wouldn't forget about you Blunk," smiled Hay Lin, pinching the bridge of her nose shut, and taking the plate of cookies from her grandmother.

"Who could?" laughed Irma.

"Girls, I believe Caleb has brought news with him," interrupted Yan Lin. Cornelia let Caleb free of the embrace and returned to her seat.

"Elyon eagerly awaits your visit, she wants to see you all tomorrow soon," said Caleb. Cornelia smiled the, _I-told-you-so_ smile, but said nothing out loud.

"Did you have any plans for tomorrow?" asked Caleb.

"You mean _after_ school, right?" asked Taranee. Caleb nodded.

"We don't have any plans for then," Cornelia said, eager to see Elyon again. The earth guardian didn't show it, but she really missed Elyon since she decided to permanently stay in Meridian to rule as their queen. Now she couldn't wait to see her friend again.

"It doesn't seem like everyone is ok with the plan," sighed Hay Lin's grandmother, she turned to Will. The girls all followed her eyes and saw Will starring into space, her head resting in her hands like a baby in a cradle.

"Will?" called Irma, waving her hand madly just inches from her friend's face. The sudden movement broke the redhead's concentration and her head shot up.

"Earth to Will! We're going to see Elyon tomorrow after school," explained Cornelia.

"I think there are other things on her mind right now, am I right?" asked Yan Lin, taking a seat on the small table near Will.

"Sorry guys, but I was just thinking, and it worries me, what if we go back and-" Will said.

"You were fine at school today," Taranee interrupted, "are you ok?"

"Yeah, I guess I just jumped into guardian mode," laughed Will.

"What were you thinking about Will?" asked Hay Lin, setting the plate of cookies down near Irma. She happily grabbed a few, and started munching.

"I was just thinking, I know we defeated her, but for how long? What if we go to Meridian and-" Will started to say.

"Are you talking about Nerissa?" Irma asked between bites of her third cookie.

"Will, she's gone, she's stuck in the jewel," sighed Cornelia.

"But that's just it! How do we know she'll stay in there!" exclaimed Will.

"My father's not letting her get out anytime soon," said Caleb, leaning against the basement wall.

"Will," said Yan Lin. She took the young guardian's hand, attempting to calm her.

"Nerissa is happy in her dreams, she won't leave them," explained Yan Lin.

"But won't she realize that they're just that, _just dreams_?! What if she wakes up from her picture, perfect dreams and finds out that they aren't real?" frowned Will, sitting back in her chair facing the old, air guardian.

"You worry too much, she gone forever!" Blunk said. Will smiled.

"Besides if she ever did find out, she'd have to choose harmony and balance to escape the jewel's prison, right grandma?" asked Hay Lin.

"Exactly," smiled Yan Lin. She gave Will back her hand and patted her granddaughter on her shoulder, smoothing out her long, black hair as she did. Standing up, Yan Lin walked back up the stairs, shutting the door behind her. Silence threatened to take hold of the room, but Caleb stopped it from getting too far.

"So, what should I tell Elyon?" he asked.

"You can tell her, we'll be there right after school," smiled Will.

"Speaking of school, we have that big test in chemistry tomorrow, Hay Lin. I have to go home and study," Taranee said, picking up her bag and scarf. She grabbed the last cookie from the tray before Irma and waved good bye to the others.

"Yeah my mom wants me to study for my algebra test tonight, I'd better get going," Will replied. She gathered her things, slid on her coat, and walked up the stairs.

"Don't forget about tomorrow!" called Hay Lin.

"I won't!" Will promised as she closed the door behind her. She left the restaurant and made her way down the four blocks that separated the Silver Dragon from her house. Pulling out her key and unlocking the door, Will peered into the kitchen.

"Mom?" called Will, flipping on the lights, "Anyone?"

"Good evening Will, your mother is out shopping, hopefully for more food. I'm running on empty here!" complained Will's refrigerator.

"Sorry about that James, how long has she been gone?" asked Will, prying open the door to find the truth of James' statement.

"She has been out for the better part of the hour, Miss Will. May I suggest-"

"Toast!" cried Will in excitement, interrupting James and slamming the door closed. She popped the bread into the toaster and pulled out a butter knife from the drawer.

"Toast for dinner?" asked James, disgust in his voice, "you just had toast for breakfast!"

"So? Seeing that bread and butter are all we have left, toast sounds good to me," shrugged Will. She grabbed the toast as it shot out of the toaster and buttered it. Grabbing her school bag and fresh toast, Will ambled down the short hallway and into her room. She shut the door and popped the food into her mouth, then sat down, pencil in hand, to study for her algebra test.

"Using the graph, write the equation in slope intercept form," Will read out-loud to herself. She studied the graph and scribbled down _x0 y-2._

"That's wrong," said Will's calculator, his screen flashing with new, correct calculations.

"Will you be quiet Sammy!" shushed Will, "Algebra's hard enough without you telling me what I did wrong.

"But if you just put-"

"I said be quiet," instructed Will, rubbing her temples. Down the hall the front door opened and Will's mother walked in, putting down bags of groceries on the counter.

"But just-"

"No," snapped Will.

"But that's how you-"

"I don't care Sammy, shut up!" screamed Will, her face as red as her hair as she jumped to her feet. A small spark of electricity jumped across her hair. Suddenly the door to Will's room opened, Mrs. Vandom stood in the doorway.

"Are you ok Will? Who were you talking to?" she asked, "I didn't hear anyone else-"

"I'm fine mom, I wasn't talking to anyone. I'm just doing my homework," smiled Will as she sat back down in her chair.

"Are you sure you weren't talking to anyone? Did you need help?" Susan asked her daughter, peering over her shoulder to check her math.

"Um Will, this last one here is wrong," Susan offered.

"I know!" snapped Will, her tone softened, "sorry, good night Mom."

"Good night Will," smiled Mrs. Vandom. She stepped out and closed Will's door.

"Nice job Sammy," snarled Will, picking up her pencil and continuing to do her homework.

"Just trying to help," laughed Sammy nervously.

**--- ---**

"Where's Will?" asked Cornelia.

"She came late to school today," said Irma, "something about math."

"Maybe she got in trouble for being late," added Taranee.

"I don't care if she has detention for life, Elyon's waiting for us and we can't be late!" exclaimed Cornelia.

"I don't think we'll be late," smiled Hay Lin as she watched the school doors part, and Will appear from behind them.

"Sorry guys, that algebra test-"

"We'll hear about it later Will, now fold us to Elyon," commanded Cornelia. Glancing around the school yard, the girls walked to a nearby alley, free of any wandering eyes. Will pulled out the Heart of Candracar and swiped it across the air, opening a fold straight to the palace. Cornelia leaped through the fold and hurried towards the castle. Hay Lin, Taranee, Irma, and lastly Will also made their way through the fold and up towards the palace.

"There's Elyon!" pointed Hay Lin. The five girls turned their heads in the direction Hay Lin had pointed, smiles filling their faces.

"Elyon!" called Cornelia, "I'm so-"

"Hay Elyon!" called Irma. Irma, Hay Lin, Taranee, and Will all ran over to the queen and caught her in a big, group hug. Cornelia frowned at being left out, but embraced her best friend when the others had freed her.

"So did you miss us?" smiled Irma.

"Of course," replied Elyon, "let's go inside for a bit."

"Led the way," said Hay Lin. The guardians followed the queen of Meridian into a comfy, sitting room, overlooking the gardens.

"So, how's the new year of school coming?" asked Elyon.

"You'd love it; there are so many new electives," Hay Lin explained, "lots of art classes too."

"Don't forget about the new _real_ classes," Taranee added.

"Elyon, you didn't call us all the way from Earth to talk about our grades did you?" joked Irma. Everyone laughed.

"No," smiled Elyon, "but I miss you guys a lot, so just talking to you is great. It gets pretty lonely here in the castle."

"Then let's go outside, it's such a nice day. It's still snowing back at home," Will said.

"Is it always nice here? By the castle I mean," asked Taranee. Elyon shook her head.

"Why would it have to-" Cornelia started to say.

"Yeah, doesn't it get cold and snowy ever?" Hay Lin wondered, cutting Cornelia off.

"Hay Lin," Cornelia growled, but she was already out of earshot. Sighing Cornelia wondered if she would ever have time to talk to her old friend.

Elyon led them through a garden of fountains, where Irma felt it was necessary to have the water leap from fountain to fountain and "accidently" drench everyone. Their laughing subsided as Hay Lin gave everyone a gentle blow-dry and Taranee evaporated all the water on the ground and on the outside furniture. After a full tour of the gardens, Will noticed a group of people gathered around a rock.

"Elyon, what are those people doing to that giant rock over there?" Will questioned.

"Oh, I'm planning on adding more plants to the garden, maybe an orchard. That area over there is really unstable, so the workers have to be really careful when they move things over there," Elyon explained.

"Did you need help, I'll fix it for you," offered Cornelia, eager to show off for her Elyon like the other girls had.

"No Cornelia, it's ok-" Elyon said.

"No really, it'll be done in a second," smiled Cornelia. She put out her hands, slowly lifting them upwards.

"Cornelia, please it's under control!" Elyon said. Hay Lin noticed the change in the tone of her voice. _Is she afraid?_ Hay Lin thought,_ What's to be-_. Just as the large, crystalline rock lifted out of its snug bed in the earth, Cornelia lost her balance and fell as the ground shifted under her. With her concentration broken, the rock flew from her grasp and plummeted back into the ground. The guardians felt the earth start to move under them, and understood why Elyon had been worried.

"It's an earthquake!" shouted Taranee. The girls all fell to the ground and held onto the ground, trying not to be shaken away. Soon the violent shaking had subsided, and a large, jagged split in the earth had been created from where the grandiose rock was now wedged almost all the way inside the earth, to past the castle walls.

"Is everyone all right?" called a voice from the castle, "I'll be down in a moment!"

"Are you ok?" asked another voice. Cornelia smiled and turned to see Caleb running towards them from the castle.

"What happened?" asked Will, holding her hand to her forehead to quell the dizziness.

"There's a fault line near the palace, it must have shifted," explained the voice from before in the palace. The girls turned around to see Caleb's father, Julian walking over to them. "I fear there is more damage then what we can see."

"How do you know?" asked Hay Lin. Julian pointed to the sky where dark plumes of smoke were just beginning to rise over the nearby trees.

"There's a town to the north of the castle which sits on this same fault," Elyon explained, "They must have gotten hit too!" Will pulled out the heart, held it up, and shouted, "Guardians Unite!"

"Water,"

"Fire,"

"Earth,"

"Air,"

"Quintessence! Let's go!" called Will. The five guardians took to the sky, leaving Caleb and his father on the ground with Elyon.

"Go to the village!" called Cornelia down to them. She saw Caleb nod and start running with his father towards it. Taranee watched as Elyon lifted effortlessly into the air and guided them to the town.

"Taranee, try to push the flames together and extinguish them. Irma, put as much water as you can on the fire. Hay Lin, keep the flames from spreading. Cornelia," instructed Will, "Cornelia?" Will hovered above the flames, looking around for the earth guardian.

"Down here!" Cornelia answered, "Elyon help me!" Swooping down and landing, Cornelia and Elyon surveyed the situation. With a wave on her hand Cornelia sent a group of trees scurrying away from the town, and Elyon worked to contain the blaze.

"How do fires even start when earthquakes hit?" shouted Irma over the roar of the flames. She sprayed another blast of water on the burning buildings.

"Earthquakes break gas and electric lines in our world, lighting the things around them on fire. But here I guess they just knock the houses and flammable objects onto the cooking fires," Taranee responded. Cornelia saw a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye; she turned and saw Caleb standing with his father open mouthed with shock, as she walked over to them

"What's wrong?" asked Cornelia over the commotion. She walked over to him to hear his answer. Caleb took Cornelia's hands and continued to watch the guardians trying to put out the flames.

"This is where my father and I lived before we started staying in the castle." Cornelia stared at her boyfriend in shock.

"Oh Caleb, I'm sooo sorry," Cornelia sobbed, embracing him; he returned her hug and watched as the last of the fire was smothered. His father walked to a crushed house and stood looking over it. The guardians and Elyon walked over to it and watched as Julian climbed over the rubble and started to throw the broken pieces off the pile.

"What are you looking for?" asked Hay Lin, sending a small gust of air to blow the gathering dust away.

"The jewel," said Julian. The guardians exchanged a worried glance.

"Why was it in your old house?" asked Elyon.

"I had left it here for safe keeping, because everyone is gone for the week, up in the mountains gathering snowberries, I knew no one would be here to take it," explained Julian, throwing a pile of burnt cloth to the side. Cornelia released Caleb from her arms and removed a large portion of wood from the pile. A glitter caught Will's eye.

"There!" Will shouted. She fluttered over to the exposed, wooden beam where the sparkles had come from. Carefully gathering the tiny pieces and string, Will brought the crushed amulet to the group. The guardians stared at the crushed, teardrop jewel, questions buzzing around in their heads.

"What does it mean?" asked Hay Lin.

"It mean's Nerissa's escaped," frowned Will.

"Or she could be dead," said Irma.

"Irma get serious!" yelled Cornelia.

"I am serious _Corny_, the necklace is smooshed, so logic says she should be too," explained Irma.

"Let's look around the area, maybe there'll be some hints as to her whereabouts," Taranee suggested.

"Ok everyone, look around," said Irma, "um what are we looking for again?"

"Any clue as to where she might have gone," explained Will. Irma shrugged and joined Hay Lin in the air above the forest. The girls searched the woods from above, nit-picking every trail they found and combing all the spaces in-between. They searched for a few hours until Elyon called off the hunt.

"The sun is setting, you'd better get home. I'll have the people continue the search when they get home from the festival in the mountains," Elyon said.

"We're so sorry Elyon, this was supposed a fun peaceful get together," Cornelia sighed.

"It's ok, for all we know Nerissa could be as crushed as that pendant, anyway I'll see you soon," smiled Elyon. She waved her hand and created a fold back to Heatherfield, in front of the Silver Dragon.

"Thanks Elyon, bye!" called Taranee and the others as they stepped through the fold and it disappeared. Caleb and his father escorted Elyon back to the palace.

As they left a pair of golden eyes blinked from the bushes at the edge of town. Smiling, the figure crept off, remembering the guardians' words. _"She's as smooshed as that pendent."_ A light laughter filled the woods as the golden eyes faded into the shadows.

* * *

Episode 1 done! Up next is **Episode 2 (The road to success)** I'll put up short summaries for each episode on my home page thing the day before they come out, so you'll know what to expect and if you want to read it, but of course you do want to read them all. I love reviews! Thanks! 


	2. The Road to Sucess

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H**. Everything happens for a reason, no matter how random… Sorry for those people who like random…

--- (Insert line) ---

**Episode 2 (The Road to Success)**

"Hay Lin, will you please explain to the class the steps you go through when you change lanes," instructed the teacher as he walked up and down the rows of desks, passing back old driving tests. Hay Lin looked up in surprise from her notebook. Doodles of cars and chickens and flowers had exploded from her pencil and filled her page of notes.

"Hay Lin!" called the teacher.

"Um, use your turn signal, and then changes lanes?" smiled Hay Lin.

"Uh-huh, maybe if you spent more time taking notes and less time filling your notebook with doodles, you might know the answer," said Mr. Kingston, handing her test back. The class laughed and whispered amongst themselves until the last test was handed back to its owner.

"Can anyone tell me what the correct steps are for making a lane change?!" shouted the teacher. His veins were popping with anger. One of the students in the back of the room answered the question correctly and he relaxed.

"Now students, today is our first real driving test. It will be a short test, only a few minutes per person; we're only driving from the parking lot in the back, around the front of the school, and back to the parking lot. Grab your things, let's go!" ordered Mr. Kingston.

"Hay Lin come on, don't you want to drive?" asked Irma.

"Yeah, let's go," smiled Will, waiting for the others. The five girls had been taking driver's education for only a month, starting when school had started up after break. Amazingly they found that they were all in the same class. Will and Cornelia were the oldest ones in the class, aside from a few boys who looked like they had been held back a year or two. The whole class assembled outside in the back parking lot behind the gym.

"Oh no, it looks like it's about to rain," sighed Taranee, covering her eyes with her hand, and watching the approaching wall of clouds from the west.

"Don't worry Taranee, I won't let it rain on us," smiled Irma. She looked down from the sky and over to the approaching car Mr. Kingston was driving. "Ew! We have to drive that!" Similar shrieks of disgust came from the other students standing nearby as they watched the old car come to a stop. The little, beat up compact car was a gaudy, golden-yellowy color with an old, off-white Driver's Ed sign bolted to the roof. Mr. Kingston opened the car door after he turned the machine off, and handed the keys to a nearby student, a tall, lanky boy with a blond mop posing for hair.

"Hay Lin and Taranee Cook, you're next!" Mr. Kingston called from the passenger window as the car pulled away and rounded the first turn.

"Oh no, I can't drive that thing!" complained Hay Lin.

"You'll be fine, just don't hit anything," added Will, patting her on the back.

"Yeah, just pretend that all the cones are little people, and you can't hit any of them," smiled Irma.

"Thanks," sighed Hay Lin as the car pulled back around the school and stopped next to her. The boy in the driver's seat removed himself from the car looking petrified. Cornelia stifled a laugh and turned away as he past her. Hay Lin sat down in the car and remembered to buckle her seatbelt and to adjust her mirrors before she pulled away from the curb. As she did, Taranee bit her lip with nervousness and watched the car leave sight.

"Taranee, you're next," said Irma, leaning on her friend's shoulder.

"Will?" asked Taranee, her voice trembling, "do your powers work on cars? Can't you make it drive itself or something?"

"Um no, only if the car runs completely on batteries or electricity. Why?" Will wondered, "Are you ok Taranee?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey look, here comes Hay Lin," pointed Taranee, her hand visibly shaking. She stepped up to the curb and took the door from her friend.

"Don't speed so much Hay Lin, but you're off to a good start, C+," said Kingston, "Taranee you're up." Hay Lin walked past her and whispered a _good luck_ to her. Taranee shut the door to the car after she had entered and watched Hay Lin rejoin the girls next to the building on the sidewalk.

"Are you ready?" asked Mr. Kingston. His tone suggested he had already asked her this same question before.

"Oh, yes," Taranee responded, shaking her head and concentrating on the task ahead of her. She reached up and fixed her rearview mirror, adjusted her side mirrors, and fastened her seatbelt securely.

"Drive around the school once," said Mr. Kinston. Taranee stepped on the brake pedal and shifted the car into _Drive_. She then stepped on the accelerator pedal and the car jumped forward and around the side of the school.

"I guess I forgot to tell her that the gas is kinda touchy," smiled Hay Lin, crossing her arms behind her head. The girls sighed collectively and listened to the shouts of Mr. Kingston and the squealing tires of the car around the other side of the school.

"I didn't think she'd be this bad," frowned Cornelia, after a large flock of pigeons was heard taking flight after a loud squeal from the tires.

"You've been wrong before," shrugged Irma smiling.

"Irma!" Cornelia exclaimed, grabbing for her.

"Stop you guys, the car's coming back!" Will said, hushing the girls as she stepped in-between them. The car was slowly making its way down the sidewalk, starting and stopping, starting and stopping. The yellow car had almost reached the class until Mr. Kingston reached over and turned it off. Hay Lin noted he looked similar to her when she had been seasick when she had been on a boat when she was a boat. Taranee fumbled with the lock on the door until Will reached inside the window and opened it for her, volunteering to go next. Cornelia and Hay Lin helped Taranee away from the car and sat her down in the shade the school building offered. Irma waved to Will as the car disappeared around the school.

"So? What did you get?" questioned Hay Lin.

"I got a D, my mom's gonna freak!" complained Taranee, burying her face in her hands.

"Come on, we've taken like a million tests in this class. One D won't destroy all that hard work," Cornelia offered, "and besides no one gets above a B on their first round. It's like an unwritten rule of driver's ed teachers, especially Mr. Kingston."

"Unless they're a football player," laughed Irma. Taranee, Hay Lin, and Cornelia all looked up at Irma, confusion across their faces.

"Mr. Kingston's a football coach! Almost all driving teachers are, thus only the football players get good grades in this class, it's rigged!" explained Irma letting her voice get louder. Cornelia tried to shush her, but she just continued on.

"That's so stupid; football players are _so thick_ anyway. The rest of us smart ones have to work to get descent grades while the lamebrains get them for showing up!"

"Irma Lair!" Irma turned slowly around to face her teacher. Will was holding back laughter which threatened to spill out of her mouth any moment, as she handed her friend the door to the car. Irma gulped and took her turn in the car, driving away around the school to take her test.

"She's in for it," smiled Will.

"What'd _you_ get?" asked Hay Lin.

"Just a B-, I can't turn that well to the left," replied Will.

"I wonder if I'll have time to go today?" wondered Cornelia aloud as she got to her feet. The rest of the class was becoming impatient, and watching the clock on the brick wall above the back door. Fifth period was almost over; several students looked down at their stomachs and then back at the clock.

"The class ends in eight minutes, you might not go today if Irma doesn't come back," sniffled Taranee.

"Nope, you're definitely going today, there's Irma," said Hay Lin, then she asked, "is that a cone stuck in her front tire?"

"Great," sighed Cornelia sarcastically. She traded places with Irma and told her about the cone. Irma un-wedged it from the front left-side tire and smiled innocently at Mr. Kingston who shook his head slowly as he sighed.

"This won't be long," called Cornelia out the open window of the car to the girls.

"What do you think she meant by that?" asked Will.

"Maybe she's awful and it will be over really quick, then we can go have lunch," guessed Irma. The girls stood in silence, waiting for the disgusting, old car to come zipping around the last turn. Instead, just as the bell rang, the gaudy, yellow car came to a complete, controlled stop at the curb. Cornelia stepped out of the car with Mr. Kingston, a smile adorning her lips.

"Congratulations Cornelia, I've never seen any student do so well on their first time in the test car," said Mr. Kingston, shock evident in his voice. Irma was petrified with amazement at this tidbit of news.

"Thank you," smiled Cornelia, shutting the car door and handing the teacher the keys.

"You have just earned yourself an A-, Miss Hale. I hope to see more surprises like this from you on our upcoming drives," beamed the driving instructor. Cornelia nodded and walked inside, the rest of the girls were too dumbstruck to do anything but follow. Once they found their table in the cafeteria, Hay Lin broke the hanging silence.

"How did you do it? Where did you learn to drive so well?" she asked leaning over the table towards Cornelia.

"Well, my Dad always took me driving when I was little. Besides, learning to drive is like, a rite of passage. If you can't drive, you can't do _anything_ in the real world," Cornelia explained, tugging at her blond hair. Taranee thought over her friend's words and shuddered at the thought.

The school day continued with no problems. The final bell rang at three, releasing the girls to say their goodbyes and walk to their homes. Taranee walked with Will until their paths parted, then Taranee made her way to her house alone. Grabbing a snack as she walked inside, Taranee greeted her father in the kitchen.

"Taranee, your mother's staying late today, so I'm making dinner. How does stir-fried chicken sound?" smiled Mr. Cook.

"Remind me to warn Peter," Taranee joked under her breath. She nodded to her father and sat down at the table to begin studying for her upcoming test in trigonometry. She tried to put as much space between her and her horrible grade as she could. That night as Taranee went to sleep. She struggled to keep the images of her failure out of her mind as she slipped into the world of dreams.

_The car inched along the highway, the gaudy, yellow paint shining in the hot sunlight. Taranee sat behind the wheel, petrified as the other cars, almost twice her size, sped around her. Mr. Kingston appeared in the passenger seat. He was as red as a ripe tomato and was shouting at her to step on it. Pressing her sandaled foot to the accelerator pedal, Taranee was forced back into the leather seat as the car jumped forward, the speedometer registering speeds of over seventy miles per hour. Taranee looked down and saw her knuckles had become as white as freshly, fallen snow as she clung to the steering wheel. Mr. Kingston had continued to shout, but she could no longer understand what he was shouting about. It was almost as if he was speaking another language like German or Japanese._

_Suddenly Peter had appeared in back seat of the car, frowning at her along with the rest of her family. The car continued to speed down the highway even though Taranee had taken her foot off the gas pedal ages ago. The highway had disappeared, and before the car now laid an abandoned stretch of lonely, dessert road, complete with bleached cow skulls and tall, green cactuses._

"_You can't drive!" laughed Peter from the back seat as he twirled his basketball aimlessly on his finger._

"_People who can't drive don't get good jobs," jeered her father._

"_How did you ever think you could get to be where I am without driving?" questioned her mother, a frown on her face._

"_You're a loser!" Mr. Kingston chortled. Taranee released the steering wheel and pressed her hands over her ears, attempting to block out the evil jests her family was throwing at her._

"_Stop it!" cried Taranee closing her eyes. Taranee felt a burst of speed from the car around her and the voices had been silenced. Opening her dark, brown eyes Taranee glimpsed a worn down sign that read, __The Road to NOWHERE.__ Shock widened her eyes as the car flew off a cliff as the road abruptly ended, and plummeted down to the canyon floor below._

"NO!" screamed Taranee. She blinked her eyes once or twice before registering where she was. Her room was dark, only small traces of light seeped through the window under her curtains. She was sitting straight up in her bed, the covers clutched tightly in her hands. Glancing again around her room, the fire guardian sighed with relief.

"It was just a dream," she mumbled to herself, hopping she hadn't made too much noise during the night and woken her family. Her gaze rested on the clock, 6:58 AM. Taranee noted it was time to get up and get ready for school.

**--- ---**

"Then the car sped up to a hundred miles per hour and the road just ended, sending the car and I flying down towards the ground," explained Taranee at lunch. That day Mr. Kingston had assigned study hall to everyone who had driven the day before, giving Taranee time to finish all the homework she had been assigned that day.

"Then what happened?" asked Hay Lin, her head resting her hands.

"Then I woke up, but it was all so real," sighed Taranee pushing her lunch away.

"You're just nervous, why don't you ask your parents for help, maybe they could help you practice," suggested Will as she finished off her turkey sandwich.

"Didn't you hear her dream Will?" asked Irma, "She's afraid her parents will freak!"

"Taranee, driving can be a little nerve racking at first, but don't panic," smiled Cornelia, "all it takes is a little practice, and a lot of deep breathing at first."

"Thanks," mumbled Taranee.

"Why don't we go to the restaurant again today?" Hay Lin said. Everyone smiled.

"As long as I don't see any stir-fried chicken on the menu," Taranee joked.

**--- ---**

"Where's Irma?" wondered Hay Lin.

"She said she'd be here a little late," Will said.

"Whatever, at least we'll have some peace and quiet-" said Cornelia before she was interrupted by the door. Irma rushed down the stairs.

"What was that Cornelia?" laughed Will. Cornelia frowned and looked away.

"Irma, you smell worse than my brother when comes home from playing basketball," said Taranee wrinkling her nose.

"Sorry," smiled Irma. She paused and sniffed the air around her, "hey I don't smell so bad. I just stopped at the barn before I came here; I forgot to take my boots home."

"Are you still riding there?" asked Hay Lin as she offered her a chocolate, fortune cookie.

"Not really, I do every now and then when I do enough work, or when _we're_ not busy," explained Irma, setting her boots down at the foot of the stairs.

"Well spare us the smells next time," said Cornelia, holding her nose.

"I think riding is much more fun than driving, the horses actually listen to you, unlike that car Mr. Kingston makes us drive," joked Irma, "you should try it Taranee."

"No, no I think I'll stick with the evil car. Horses just aren't my thing," Taranee said. Irma shrugged and ate two more cookies as she joined the other girls in a conversation about school. Taranee leaned back and became lost in her own thoughts. Her gaze fell upon a red, cinnamon candle, the flame burned tall and wide, consuming the whole wick in its small blaze. Taranee's eyes looked into the dancing flame, seeing flickering images within it. Fear swam through her body, but the guardian of fire took a deep breath and watched the images meld together and become a visible picture.

"Elyon?" wondered Taranee out loud, her eyes caught up in a trance.

"What did you say Taranee?" asked Hay Lin, leaning over closer. The girls stopped talking about planning a trip to the mall, and watched the fire guardian stare into her element. Taranee noticed the change of the atmosphere of the room around her but continued to watch the chaos taking place in the candle flame. Dogs and cats raced around the streets of Meridian. A horse cart zoomed past a group of soldiers. Elyon and Caleb were trying to calm the people of the city and herd them away from the chaos.

"We have to get to Meridian!" exclaimed Taranee. The girls nodded in understanding. Will pulled out the heart and held it up in the air.

"Guardians Unite!" Will shouted. The heart encased each girl in her respective colored orb and they transformed.

"Water!"

"Fire!"

"Earth!"

"Air!"

"Quintessence!" finished Will. She created a fold to the Meridian marketplace of Taranee's vision.

"Ah!" shrieked Cornelia as a chicken flapped up, almost colliding with her face.

"Girls you're here!" called Caleb, "All the animals just went crazy. No one knows what spooked them all." Irma flew up in the air and surveyed the situation. She hovered over to Will and explained the problem.

"This whole block is overrun with wild animals," she explained.

"Everyone, block the two entrances to this street, keep all the animals in!" commanded Will.

"Great, we've been reduced to dog catchers, _how fun_," sighed Irma sarcastically.

"Irma!" scolded Cornelia.

"What? Did _I_ say something?" smiled Irma as she flew off. She conjured a small wave of water from her hands and sent the liquid down between the two buildings of the street.

"Hay Lin!" called Irma. Hay Lin swooped down and sent a gust of air to meet the water, freezing it place. The wall of ice glittered in the sunlight.

"One down, one to go," smiled Will to herself, "Cornelia!"

"I'm on it," replied the earth guardian. She flew down and landed at the opening between the two buildings. Pressing her hand to the earth at her feet, the ground rose up under her and created the second barrier.

"Good work, now we have to catch all the animals," sighed Will, diving down for a dog that ambled past. Each guardian sighed and swooped to the ground helping to herd the dogs, cats, birds, and other sorts of Meridian creatures back to their cages. Caleb, Elyon, and the towns people contributed as much as they could, opening and closing cage doors, scaring the animals away from behind shops, and calming the larger animals.

Hay Lin eased the last of the black ducks into their cages, and leaned against a horse drawn cart with Will. The girls surveyed the market, feathers and fur littered the ground and flouted up in the air, the animals seemed unusually calm after their brief bit of freedom.

"Taranee, Cornelia," said Elyon, "could you take down the walls. Everything seems under control now." The two guardians nodded and went to work. Will and Hay Lin settled themselves in the cart, leaning up against the boxes of fruit and other produce, watching as the ice barrier easily melted as Taranee blasted it with fire.

"Will, did you hear that?" asked Hay Lin.

"No. What did you hear?" questioned Will.

"It sounded like a hiss, it could have been a snake or a-" Hay Lin didn't finish. The two girls were flung into the cart and buried by the boxes as the horse took off.

"Help us!" shouted Will as more boxes shifted, eliminating any chance of escape.

"Will!" called Taranee as she melted away the last bits of ice.

"Hay Lin!" exclaimed Irma leaping into the air. Cornelia raced across the street and shoved Elyon and Caleb out of the cart's way as the horse galloped up behind them. They ended up in a heap in some vender's stall who sold rugs, _very,_ dusty rugs. Irma and Taranee took to the air and flew over to the cart.

"We to stop it!" called Irma.

"Just help me get these boxes off of them," said Taranee, landing on the cart's small ledge where the driver would sit. The reins flapped wildly in the air just inches from her wings as she tried to move the boxes

"Irma lift the top one!" shouted Taranee. Irma flew closer, gripped the box with both hands, and started to pull it off until an unforeseen force snatched her out of the air.

"Irma!" shrieked Taranee. The box she had held a moment before, smashed into the ground, snowberries and kumquats littered the ground. Irma watched the scene from above, twisted up in someone's cloth-line strung out between two buildings.

"I'm ok," laughed Irma, trying to get free, "stop the cart!" Taranee glanced at the heavy boxes imprisoning her friends and sat down in the driver's seat. Grabbing the reins, Taranee's foot found a bar and she pressed it down with all her might. The wheels locked and started to skid across the cobblestone ground, spooking the horse even more. Fearing that the wheels might break off, Taranee toke her foot off the brake pedal and tried another way to stop the cart.

"Whoa!" called Taranee to the horse, jerking back the leather reins. The horse kicked up at the cart and Taranee loosened her grip, but still kept contact with the horse's mouth. The horse responded slowly and eased up on its pace to a fast canter instead of the mad gallop. Taranee felt a smile creep onto her face, _I can do this!_ She thought. Alternating increasing her hold on the reins and pressing down on the medieval style brake pedal, Taranee slowed the horse and returned to the main square with the cart and the two buried guardians intact.

"Are they ok?" asked Elyon rushing over to the cart.

"I hope," said Taranee, her heart still racing as fast as the horse was. Caleb tossed the boxes out of the cart and helped Hay Lin and Will to their feet.

"Are you ok?" asked Cornelia, hugging Will, Hay Lin and Taranee.

"Thanks to Taranee," Hay Lin smiled as Cornelia let her go.

"Those were amazing driving skills, even though it was on a horse cart," Will laughed.

"I know I'm ruining a perfect moment, but will someone get me down!" yelled Irma. Taranee smiled, pointed her finger like a gun at the string holding Irma up, and fired a single ball of flame at it. Irma fell to the ground with a loud thud, causing all the girls and Caleb to laugh. Cornelia fell to the ground in tears, she laughed so hard.

"Yeah, that was hilarious," Irma said sarcastically as she dusted herself off. The girls continued to laugh until Irma walked over and threatened them if they didn't shut their faces. Still bright faced and giggling, the girls walked with Elyon to the castle. Cornelia slowed down to walk with Caleb in the back of the group, hand in hand.

"So what's going on?" asked Hay Lin, "How did all the animals get loose?"

"We have no idea. All the people say the cages and pens just opened and the animals ran for it," said Elyon.

"Some of the people thought they heard a hissing sound and think the animals spooked from a snake," Caleb added.

"I heard a hiss too!" Hay Lin exclaimed, "right before the horse took off."

"Do you have a snake problem in Meridian?" asked Cornelia. Elyon shook her head back and forth.

"Why would all the animals go crazy and all the cages and doors just open by themselves?" Will questioned, "it makes no sense!"

"Well anyway, I hope you solve the mystery. We have to get going. My mom was worried about me last night with all that noise I made," sighed Taranee.

"Ok, see you soon Elyon!" called Will as the Heart of Candracar created a fold back to the Silver Dragon's basement. Cornelia said her goodbye to Elyon and kissed Caleb lightly on the cheek before disappearing back to earth.

"What do you think that was all about?" asked Irma.

"We've been reduced to chasing animals in Meridian, just like you said," sighed Hay Lin.

"Great! Now we all smell like horses!" complained Cornelia, "I'm going home to take a shower, I'll see you all tomorrow." The other girls said their goodbyes for the night and left Hay Lin alone to finish her homework.

**--- ---**

"Ok Taranee, your turn," smiled Will as she stepped out of the car, "good luck." Taranee smiled her thanks and traded places taking a seat behind the wheel.

"Ok Miss Cook, around the school and back," instructed Mr. Kingston. Taranee nodded her understanding, buckled her seatbelt, adjusted all three of her mirrors, and pressed her foot to the brake to shift into _Drive_. Gently applying pressure to the accelerator, Taranee fixed her glasses and eased away from the curb and around the building. Taranee felt the car around her and relaxed, _everything is under control_, she thought to herself smiling.

**- - - **

"How do you think it's going?" asked Hay Lin.

"She looked like she knew what she was doing," smiled Cornelia, "and she's only had two days to get better."

"I know she'll do really well, she was so relaxed," Will added.

"Look, she's back already!" pointed Irma. The car made a slow, easy stop and parked in front of the class. The window was open and the guardians overheard Mr. Kingston talking to Taranee.

"-never have I seen such quick improvement in any of my students this year! Congratulations Miss Cook, you've earned yourself a B+," said Mr. Kingston. Taranee stepped out of the car beaming.

"You did it Taranee!" exclaimed Will, hugging her friend in congratulations.

"Great job, now you can teach me," smiled Irma, looping her arm over Taranee's shoulders and leaning on her. The five guardians laughed and watched the rest of their classmates as they took their driving tests, worries far from their minds.

- - - (Insert line) - - -

Episode 2 is completed. **Episode 3 (A Princess in Waiting**) is next. I love Reviews!


	3. A Princess in Waiting

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** I don't know when Cornelia or Caleb's birthdays are. I really don't care at this point because the episode is completed. So they are within a week of each other. Enjoy.

* * *

**Episode 3 (A Princess in Waiting)**

The sun poked out from behind the clouds, warming the spring air and melting the last piles of fallen snow from a few months before. Basking in the sunlight waiting for the school bell to ring, Taranee and Irma patently stood.

"Hay Lin!" smiled Taranee, waving her friend over.

"You won't believe what my grandma told me!" shouted Hay Lin, the sunlight reflecting off her silver braces.

"What did she say?" asked Will as she walked over.

"My grandma heard from Blunk that Caleb's birthday is in a week!" exclaimed Hay Lin.

"Wow, how'd he know?" questioned Irma.

"How do you know he's telling the truth?" asked Taranee.

"My grandma doubled checked before telling me. I was thinking we could throw him an Earth birthday party!" exclaimed Hay Lin.

"Perfect!" smiled Will, "Cornelia didn't tell us, but I remembered that her birthday is tomorrow! I was thinking we could throw her a surprise party. Like the one she threw for me three years ago."

"It would be a double surprise party," added Irma, "I can see it now, the party of the century!"

"One problem," said Taranee. Irma came out of her reverie to listen.

"What?" asked Hay Lin.

"Cornelia said her parents wouldn't let her have any more parties," Taranee replied.

"But if we tell her parents that _we_ were throwing her a _small_ party, then maybe we could have it at their house!" Will said, thinking out loud.

"Good, cause I'm not throwing anymore parties at my house," frowned Irma, remembering Will's surprise party Cornelia had thrown at her house.

"But Cornelia has lots of friends, if we invite one or two, then they'll go tell everyone else," frowned Hay Lin.

"Then our small party turns into a house wrecker, and her parents hate us," said Taranee, looking at the clock.

"What if we have more of a guardian party. We could invite Elyon and Caleb's dad if it's half for Caleb. Maybe even the old guardians," Will decided, "and us of course."

"Do you think Cornelia will go for that?" asked Irma, her hands resting on her hips.

"Why not? If her parents said she couldn't have any more parties, than this is better than a family party," Will replied.

"Cornelia's turning sixteen, she deserves a great party," smiled Irma.

"Grandma says this will be Caleb's eighteenth birthday," Hay Lin added.

"Ok, it's settled, I'll talk to Cornelia's parents," said Will.

"I'll come with you!" Hay Lin smiled.

"Taranee and I will go shopping for gifts after school," said Irma.

"So how are we going to keep Cornelia in the dark about all of this?" asked Taranee.

"No problem. Leave it all to me," smiled Irma.

**--- ---**

The bell rang starting 8th period, but Hay Lin and Irma didn't hear it. The two girls snuck around the bushes in front of Cornelia's house.

"Tell me again why I'm here?" asked Hay Lin, looking around for anyone who would bust them.

"You're my lookout," Irma responded.

"Are you sure this will work?" whispered Hay Lin.

"It better," mumbled Irma, closing her eyes. The bushes the two girls were hidden in were dying and sparsely vegetated. If anyone walked by, they would be caught. _Cornelia should fix these stupid bushes_, thought Hay Lin as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. The two girls shivered without their coats as the wind blew, still fighting with the sun to keep it cold.

"Here she comes," whispered Irma.

"Who?" asked Hay Lin, she moved closer to the opening. Her question was answered as Cornelia's mother, Mrs. Hale, walked out the front door and down the sidewalk to the street. Irma clenched her fists tight and closed her bluish, green eyes tight. _Cornelia wants to see a movie, Cornelia wants to see a movie, Cornelia wants to see a movie, Cornelia wants to see a movie!_ Opening her eyes, Irma smiled as her target stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, completely overwhelmed by the new urge.

"Yes!" Irma whispered aloud to herself.

"What did you tell Mrs. Hale?" asked Hay Lin, watching the women scurry back into the building.

"Cornelia wants to see a movie," Irma repeated out loud, "now she'll be at a movie and out of our way while we shop and organize the party."

"Nice, but can we go back to school now? I don't want to get into _too_ much trouble," Hay Lin said, glancing around.

"Come on, no one gets in trouble for ditching gym," Irma smiled. They left the bushes and hurried back to school.

**--- ---**

"So what are we looking for?" asked Taranee.

"Well we know not to give her fuzzy animals. You know how much she _loved_ Napoleon and Mr. Huggles," responded Irma sarcastically. The two girls were window shopping, trying to find the perfect gifts.

"What about clothes? Cornelia's really into fashion," said Taranee, stopping at a clothing shop and peering into the window.

"Um, Taranee we'd be lucky if we could buy the _dust_ in that store," sighed Irma, pulling Taranee down the street, "Let's go in here!" Irma tugged Taranee into the newest store on the street.

"Cool! Do you think Cornelia would like a Chia pet?" asked Irma, holding up the box and reading it out loud, "collector's edition chia girl, comes with water-proof terra cotta pot paint to design the face and clothing. Just plant, water, and watch the girl's hair grow with chia seeds in three to five days. Ages ten and above."

"Why, they're a waste of money. Mine would always die," Taranee sighed.

"But not with Cornelia, you know she could go all _earth_ on it and it would grow great!" laughed Irma, "maybe we could get Hay Lin to paint the face to look like her, that would be hilarious!"

"Ok, get her the chia pet, but how about something else too. Like these flip-flops," said Taranee holding up a pair of light green and yellow flip-flops. The strap around the toes was covered in fuzzy crocheted yarn that stuck up and was really comfy.

"If we don't get them for Cornelia, can I buy them?" asked Irma, "do they come in blue or purple?"

"I think she'll like them. Let's buy this stuff and meet up with Will and Hay Lin at the Silver Dragon," said Taranee grabbing the two gifts and walking to the cashier with Irma in tow, "I hope they were as lucky as us."

**--- ---**

Will and Hay Lin took the elevator to Cornelia's floor and knocked on the door. After no one opened the door, Will was just about to convince the automatic lock on the door to open up and let them in.

"May I help you girls?" asked a voice from the opening elevator. They turned and saw Mrs. Hale. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you two from behind." Will and Hay Lin smiled at Cornelia's mother as she unlocked the door and let them inside.

"If you're looking for Cornelia she's not here. She wanted to a see a movie today, but I'll tell her you stopped by," smiled Mrs. Hale.

"Actually we wanted to talk with you," Will said.

"Um, ok girls, sit down," Cornelia's mother replied, slight surprise evident in her voice.

"We know Cornelia's sixteenth birthday is tomorrow, and we wanted to know if we could throw her-" Mrs. Hale cut Hay Lin off.

"A party. I'm sorry girls, but I will not have any more unattended parties in my house," said Mrs. Hale.

"But it wouldn't be big, there'd only be the five of us and seven other people," Will explained suddenly wishing she had convinced Irma to come with her.

"Girls, I'm sorry but my husband and I won't be here and I can't let you throw a party in my house," frowned Mrs. Hale.

"What if we said it wouldn't be unsupervised?" asked Will, thinking fast.

"Yeah, my grandma would watch us," smiled Hay Lin.

"That's nice, but I don't want your grandmother to have to come all the way over here-" started Mrs. Hale.

"But she wouldn't mind, Cornelia and her get along _so_ well," Hay Lin said, then muttered under her breath, "not to mention she's on the guest list."

"Well I guess if it isn't a wild house party," sighed Mrs. Hale, about to regret what she was going to say.

"Oh no, we'll make sure the house is spotless when it's over," Will promised. Silence hung in the air.

"Ok girls, you've worn me down," smiled Mrs. Hale, "you can throw Cornelia a surprise party here tomorrow."

"Yes!" shouted Will, and Hay Lin together as they rocketed off the couch.

"But I'll have my neighbors tell me if your party was too loud and wild," grinned Cornelia's mother as she walked them to the door. As it closed, Will and Hay Lin shared a quick hug and set off towards the Silver Dragon to meet the others.

**--- ---**

Cornelia sat down in the almost filled theater. She hadn't seen a movie in ages and leaned back in her chair, relaxing in the dark. The previews were starting to play and the lights dimmed down more. The last time she had seen a movie was when she went with Lillian to see some silly movie about flying ponies and rainbows. Sighing, Cornelia wondered why her mother had shown up right as the final bell rang and whisked her away to the theater.

"Is this seat taken?" asked a voice to Cornelia's right.

"No, you can have it," replied Cornelia, moving her windbreaker jacket onto her lap and looking up to the girl who asked.

"Cornelia?" laughed the girl, surprise written on her face.

"Yeah, oh Cassidy is that you?" asked Cornelia, "sorry it's too dark in here."

"Yeah it's me. Fancy seeing you here," the ex-guardian of water smiled, "where are your friends?"

"Probably wondering where I am. My mom just showed up at the school and dropped me off here, most likely she wanted to make up for missing my birthday tomorrow," Cornelia sighed.

"You didn't bring your friends with you?" asked Cassidy, watching the candy on the movie screen jump around and advertise for the snack counter.

"They've been ignoring me. This morning we didn't meet up where we normally do before school. And when I tried to find them after school, I found, _my mother_ instead," Cornelia explained.

"They're still your friends, just wait and see. They might surprise you," smiled Cassidy, lowering her voice as the movie started. Cornelia thought about what Cassidy said and smiled. Turning her attention to the movie she laughed along with the rest of the audience.

**--- ---**

"We need to tell all the guests that they're invited," said Will as she wrapped green wrapping paper around the sandals.

"Will, you'll have to tell Elyon and Julian to fold to Cornelia's at… what time should it be?" asked Taranee.

"We need time to decorate her house and make a cake," Hay Lin added, her pencil madly rushing across her sketch book.

"I can make one tonight," offered Taranee.

"We can tell them to get there at 4:45, then we'll have roughly an hour and a half to decorate," Irma said, "but how do we keep Caleb and Cornelia away from the house until five?

"Someone has to distract them," said Hay Lin not taking her eyes off the paper. Everyone turned to her. Looking up at everyone Hay Lin smiled.

"What?" the air guardian asked, then she took the hint, "All right, I'll keep them busy."

"Ok, Hay Lin you can finish painting the Chia pet. I'll go invite Elyon and Julian and tell Caleb Cornelia wants to see him tomorrow after school. Irma you find Cassidy, try the phone book for her address, and tell her. Taranee, you tell Kadma," ordered Will.

"Cornelia's gonna _love_ that part," smiled Taranee.

"What about Helinor?" asked Hay Lin, "she's up in Candracar."

"I guess I'll tell her too," sighed Will, taking out the heart. A fold formed around her and closed leaving the three girls alone.

"Almost done. I'll see you guys tomorrow, meet here first ok, I'll leave the decorations with my grandma," said Hay Lin waving goodbye to Taranee and Irma as they walked up the stairs and out the door. The two girls split outside the Silver Dragon and walked off to find the two guardians living in Heatherfield.

**--- ---**

Before school the next day, Will met up with Cornelia to walk together. As they walked down the sidewalk, Will saw Cornelia's parents climb into a taxi and drive down the street.

"Cornelia, where are your parents going?" asked Will, trying to pretend like she didn't know they were leaving.

"They're off to some formal dinner meeting thing in Creek-meadow tomorrow, you know, downstate," Cornelia answered. They walked in silence to the school until the other girls saw them.

"Guess what Corny!" smiled Irma.

"Don't me that," frowned Cornelia, "What?"

"Caleb's coming from Meridian today. He told us he wanted to spend some time with us," Irma said, delivering the lie with a smile.

"Really?" asked Cornelia, a smile flowing onto her face.

"But Will and I have detentions after school," said Irma, elbowing Will in the ribs as she started to say otherwise.

"Ow! Yeah we ditched class yesterday," frowned Will.

"Taranee?" asked Cornelia, secretly hoping she'd be busy also.

"I have a doctor's appointment," Taranee answered.

"Don't worry Cornelia, I'm free today!" laughed Hay Lin. Cornelia sighed.

"Great," she mumbled sarcastically.

**--- ---**

"Caleb!" exclaimed Cornelia as she walked out the school doors into the front courtyard. The two embraced and only separated when Cornelia heard Hay Lin approach.

"Hey Caleb," welcomed Hay Lin. Cornelia turned and saw Eric following Hay Lin.

"Hay Lin!" called Eric, "Hey, are you busy today?"

"Eric!" smiled Hay Lin, her braces shining in the sunlight, "Yeah, but you can come with us!"

"Us?" questioned Eric as Hay Lin grabbed his hand and lead him to Cornelia and Caleb.

"Eric, Caleb. Caleb, Eric. Come on let's go to the park!" called Hay Lin, pulling her crush along with her. Caleb and Cornelia shrugged and followed her to the park, where they sat under a willow tree and Hay Lin commenced operation "distraction". An hour and a half later, Eric left to help his grandfather at the observatory. Hay Lin panicked when he told her the time before he left.

"Cornelia, I'm getting tired," Hay Lin yawned, clearly faking it.

"Yeah, I have to get home and make sure Lillian made it ok," said Cornelia. When they approached the building Hay Lin bid them goodbye, ducked behind a bush, turned invisible, and rejoined them as they walked inside. The three of them walked into the elevator and Cornelia pressed the button of her floor. As soon as the doors opened Hay Lin darted out and knocked on the Hale's door twice, giving her friends inside the signal. She stood next to the door and waited for Cornelia to unlock it. When she did, Hay Lin slipped past both Caleb and Cornelia, slid behind a chair, became visible again, and waited.

"Surprise!" shouted everyone as the two birthday teens stepped inside and flipped the lights on.

"What?" smiled Cornelia who had stepped back into Caleb by mistake. The room was lavishly decorated with green and yellow streamers and white and pastel colored balloons. On the table was a big pile of combined gifts. The cake was propped up so everyone could read it, it said "Happy Birthday Caleb and Cornelia!" On the cake were cartoony, frosting pictures of Caleb with a sword and Cornelia in her guardian outfit.

"Hay Lin sent me the idea to put you guys on the cake," smiled Irma.

"Cornelia! I want a surprise party too!" complained Lillian, running up to her sister.

"For your eleventh birthday maybe Mom and Dad will throw you one," said Cornelia, patting her sister on the head, "speaking of parents, do they know you're throwing a party in my house?"

"It didn't to matter whether my parents knew," frowned Irma.

"Yes, we asked them," responded Will, "come on relax, it's your party."

"Thanks guys," smiled Cornelia, grabbing the other four guardians in a group hug, "Let's Party!" Inconspicuously, Will pointed at the stereo and brought it crackling to life, blaring the newest songs out of its speakers. Cornelia dragged Caleb towards the space in her living room where the furniture had been cleared to dance. Hay Lin pulled Lillian into the mix and they both laughed at each other's crazy dance moves. Will, Irma, Taranee, and Elyon jumped and moved along to the rhythm.

"I forgot how much I missed this music," shouted Elyon over the stereo.

"Yeah, how do you live?" asked Irma, "no seriously." The girls giggled and continued to dance and have fun. The door bell rung and Yan Lin opened it to find Cassidy.

"Sorry I'm late," she smiled, "oh I love this song!" The old guardians watched their friend jump into the wild dance and move along with the others.

"Can you believe we used to do that?" asked Helinor, a smile spreading over her face.

"Did we look that silly?" asked Kadma sitting on the couch next to Yan Lin, "I mean look at them!" The old guardians watched Hay Lin as she laughed, bent her arms like a chicken, and clucked around Lillian, making her laugh.

"Of course we did," laughed Yan Lin as her granddaughter tripped, and spun her arms around windmill style to keep her balance. The ex guardians looked on as the girls tried to teach Caleb some dance moves. After a few painfully embarrassing attempts on Caleb's part, Cornelia swept him away as another song starting playing. After dancing to over twenty songs, Yan Lin called everyone over to the table for food. Cornelia and Caleb sat together at the head of the table, with Elyon next to Cornelia and Julian next to Caleb. The guardians sat on one side of the table, Lillian sat next to Elyon, Hay Lin next to Lillian, then Taranee, Irma, and Will. The ex-guardians sat on the other side of the table. Next to Julian Kadma sat down, and then came Yan Lin, Helenior, and Cassidy. After half the pizza had been eaten, most of it by Caleb after Cornelia told him it was ok to eat, and Lillian had left to go to the bathroom, Hay Lin noticed that they had each sat across from the guardian who shared the same element, aside from Will who had no one across from her.

"Now for cake and fortune cookies!" announced Yan Lin when Lillian returned, bringing the cake to the table after the pizza had been cleared away.

"Does anyone have room after all that food we ate?" asked Cassidy, putting a hand on her stomach.

"Totally, I always have room, bring on the cake!" smiled Irma hungrily. The table shook with laughter.

"You should be happy I live under you, otherwise your mother would hear tons of complaints about how loud this room is," frowned Kadma.

"Lighted up Kadma," Yan Lin said placing the vanilla cake between Caleb and Cornelia. She lit the sixteen candles on Cornelia's side of the cake and the eighteen on Caleb's side, and then sat down.

"Hurry up and sing before the cake melts!" giggled Irma. Will reached behind her pretending to find a light switch and dimmed the lights. When it was dark the singing commenced.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Caleb and Cornelia, Happy Birthday to you!" sang the entire room.

"Now make a wish and blow out the candles," instructed Yan Lin. Cornelia smiled, grabbed Caleb's hand under the table and blew out her half melted, sixteen candles in one breath. Caleb grinned and then blew out his half of the candles. Will raised the lights and everyone cheered.

"Do I say my wish out loud?" Caleb asked Cornelia.

"No, if you tell, it will never come true," explained Cornelia.

"This is so weird," laughed Caleb, "is the cake like a genie or something that it can grant wishes?"

"I want a piece of the funny picture of Cornelia!" begged Lillian.

"Ok calm down, I'll cut the cake," smiled Cornelia. As soon as all the cake was passed around, Yan Lin brought the fortune cookies out. Handing one to everyone she opened her own first.

"You will meet an old friend," she read aloud.

"Me next!" shouted Lillian, her mouth full of cake. She swallowed and read hers, "Your life will change dras-tic-ally. What does dras-tic-ally mean?" Napoleon leaped onto the little girl's lap and eyed her uneaten cake.

"No Napoleon!" commanded Lillian, her question forgotten.

"My turn," Irma said as she shoveled another hunk of cake into her mouth, "Your next endeavor will end in success. Well I knew that!" Taranee spoke up next.

"Your luck with love will change for the better."

"Be extra carefree, smile," laughed Hay Lin.

"As close as your friends are, your enemies are closer," shivered Will, "ok why do I get the morbid one?" Everyone laughed and continued their conversations until Lillian went to bed with Napoleon at eleven o'clock. The party moved to the couch and continued to talk until Cassidy yawned starting a chain reaction.

Cornelia and Caleb opened the presents on the counter. Cornelia loved the flip-flops and laughed with the girls at the chia pet painted in her likeness. The two teens thanked everyone for the gifts. When the clock struck one, the guardians bid farewell to everyone. Blunk appeared to find Caleb and bring him back with his father. Elyon had already left; complaining she of all people had a curfew to keep. Using the Tooth of Tonga, Blunk made a fold on the balcony and they disappeared through it. Moments later the fold still had not closed, but no one had noticed it on either side. The girls sat up talking in Cornelia's room, happy her parents weren't home to accidently wake up, oblivious to the problem.

- - -

Lillian blinked her eyes to clear away the sleep and looked at her clock. Napoleon slid off the bed and crashed into the table, sending a piece of paper fluttering to the ground. Seeing it, Lillian burst free of her covers, grabbed it, and raced into the living room.

"Caleb?" she questioned the dark room. Clutched between her hands was a folded, hand-drawn birthday card. She peered over the balcony hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of him leaving. Instead, a faint glowing light caught her eyes. Stepping closer, the light brightened as the fold in space widened. Reaching her hand out to it Lillian paused, Napoleon jumped in front of her, hissing coldly at the fold. In shock, Lillian dropped the card and it tumbled into the fold.

"My card!" cried Lillian. She reached down and grabbed her hissing cat, then stepped into the fold to retrieve the paper. The swirling vortex closed behind her. The bright sunlight caused Lillian and Napoleon to both blink.

"Wow!" beamed Lillian, "look Napoleon, a castle!"

"Oh no," mumbled Napoleon as he was carried towards the grand palace, where unbeknownst to the two of them, Elyon was currently taking a nap.

**--- ---**

"Ok guys, I'm going to make sure that Lillian is asleep," said Cornelia. She walked down the hall and opened her sister's door to peek inside. The bed was empty.

"Lillian?" asked Cornelia, "Napoleon?" Cornelia looked in the bathroom, no Lillian. She looked in the kitchen, no Lillian. She checked the living room last, but her sister wasn't there either.

"I can't find Lillian!" exclaimed Cornelia as she rushed back to the girls.

"Hold on Cornelia, she has to be here," Will yawned.

"She's not. I checked on her at one o'clock, and now she's gone!" Cornelia cried, sitting on her bed.

"Ok calm down. Was everyone gone at one?" asked Hay Lin.

"No don't think so…" sniffled Cornelia.

"Who was still here?" asked Irma.

"Didn't Caleb leave about twenty minutes after one?" asked Taranee. Cornelia nodded and silence ensued.

"The Fold!" exclaimed the five girls.

"Blunk might have forgotten to close the fold," assumed Will.

"And Lillian found it!" Irma exclaimed. Will pulled out the heart and created a fold to Meridian. They jumped through and shielded their eyes from the sunlight.

"Now what?" asked Irma, looking at the girls and herself, "we're in Meridian, in our PJ's!"

"Should we transform?" asked Hay Lin.

"Why not, she already knows about Meridian," sighed Cornelia.

"Guardians Unite!" Will shouted. The heart rose into the air with the girls.

"Water,"

"Fire,"

"Earth,"

"Air,"

"Quintessence," came the familiar cries as the guardians transformed and took to the air.

"Where do we start looking?" asked Hay Lin.

"Will and I will start with the palace and tell Elyon, you three see if anyone has seen her walking around. She fell asleep in her jeans and that blue tee-shirt she was wearing," said Cornelia. Hay Lin, Taranee, and Irma nodded, swooping down into the market and starting the search. Will and Cornelia flew to the palace and in through a window.

"Where's Elyon?" Cornelia demanded.

"She's in the garden-"

"Thanks," called Will, flying to catch Cornelia. Laughter filtered up through the windows from below, Cornelia ran faster and burst through the doors.

"Cornelia, thank goodness," sighed Elyon.

"What's wrong, have you seen Lillian?" asked Cornelia out of breath.

"I'm right here!" smiled Lillian, poking her head up from behind a pink rose bush, "Elyon did you say Cornelia was here?" Lillian blinked in amazement and dropped Napoleon from her arms. He landed on his feet and padded over to Elyon. She bent over to scratch him behind his ears.

"Did you have to run so fast?" wheezed Will as she entered the courtyard near her friend.

"Cornelia?" asked Lillian, she turned and noticed Will, "Will?"

"Oh goodness," sighed Will mentally calling out to Taranee and telling them to come to castle.

"Lillian how did you get here?" asked Cornelia.

"That's the least of our problems. What are we going to about it?" Napoleon said. Lillian stared down at her black cat, her mouth wide open. She was stunned silent as the other girls landed beside Will and Cornelia.

"What's going on?" asked Lillian, finding her voice.

"Well, this is Meridian," smiled Cornelia. Napoleon sighed and bashed his head into the ground a few times.

"This is my kingdom," responded Elyon, picking up Napoleon and handing him to Lillian.

"Cool, you're a princess?" smiled Lillian.

"Well, I'm a queen, but still royalty," Elyon said, than mumbled, "but without the same perks."

"Cornelia, I want to be a princess!" cried Lillian.

"But you are," Napoleon said.

"How can you talk?" asked Lillian, holding him up to the light.

"You wished it, and your magic made it come true. Just like your sister and her friends, you are magical," said Napoleon.

"This is just like my bedtime story, do something, all of you!" Lillian begged the guardians.

"Um sure," Irma responded, pulling some water from a nearby fountain and making a crown in the air, "I'm the queen of water."

"I have powers over earth," said Cornelia, making a flower grow in front of Lillian.

"Air's my thing," smiled Hay Lin, blowing a gentle tornado around Lillian.

"And I control fire," said Taranee, spelling _Lillian_ in the air with flames. The little blond girl turned to Will.

"I can shoot lighting," she smiled, sending a spark between her two finger tips.

"How am I magical like that? Napoleon, I've made lots of wishes, and none have come true," cried Lillian.

"You don't have your magic right now, two thirds of it is back on earth, with Matt and Mr. Huggles. Napoleon has the other bit," Taranee said. Irma and Will frowned at her use of math outside of school.

"I want it back!" screamed Lillian, Napoleon ran for cover, hiding from her temper.

"You can't have it yet," Elyon quickly interjected.

"Why not?" Lillian pouted; Napoleon poked his head out from behind Will's boots.

"Because… You have to… be thirteen to have your magic," Elyon lied, "it's the magical rule. I got my powers when I was thirteen and so did the others,"

"Ok," sighed Lillian, "but you promise I'll get my magic when I turn thirteen?"

"I promise," smiled Elyon, "but only if you don't tell anyone about Meridian and you being magical. If you do you'll never get your powers and you might turn into a monkey." Lillian's eyes widened and she nodded her silent promise.

"I'll fold you all home, it must be like four in the morning," said Elyon.

"Thanks Elyon," the girls called as they walked through the fold, Cornelia leading her sister and Napoleon following close behind. The fold began closing and Elyon turned away to deliver Lillian's card she held in her hand. Seeing movement back at the fold, Elyon turned her head. She saw a small shape leap into the fold and disappear with it. She blinked and walked off, not giving it a second thought.

* * *

Episode 3 done! Up next is **Episode 4 (A Furry Nemesis)** I hope you liked it! I love reviews! Thank you!! 


	4. A Furry Nemesis

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** My tester/reader people have told me they think the story is moving too slow. I am sorry if you think that, but that is why I have the little summaries on my homepage thing. So you can read those first if you only want to read action or other things. But I warn you, I have already dropped lots of hints as to what will happen in the future, so be warned, if you skip the episodes you might miss my hints. But my tester/reader people have told me they aren't hard to miss. In case you haven't notice, I love dialogue…

* * *

**Episode 4 (A Fury Nemesis)**

Napoleon stalked a small robin as it chirped happily on a branch just outside the Hale household. The balcony doors were slid open to let the cool crosswinds inside. He picked up his black paws as quietly as he could, trying to get closer to the bird. He smiled as a thought crossed his mind on what to do with it; he would drop it at Cornelia's feet and see how loud he could get her to scream this time. Lillian would scold him, he knew it, but he loved making the blond teen furious. Creeping ever closer to the round bird, his tail flicked back and forth with pleasure under the branch.

"LILLIAN!" screamed Cornelia. The bird took flight just before Napoleon lept at it. Hissing his displeasure at the guardian, Napoleon jumped down from the tree. Stretching in the sunlight on the grass, the black familiar twitched his ears. He sighed as he listened to the two girls bicker upstairs.

He got to his feet to give them a piece of his mind and almost crashed into another cat. Cocking his head in question, he watched as the female cat sat back on her haunches and waited. In her mouth hung the same robin who had previously eluded him only minutes ago. Growing tired of waiting for him, the new cat stood, dropped the robin at his feet, turned around, and bounded up the tree. He looked from the tree to the dead bird and called up to it.

"Wait!" No answer came, she had disappeared. Shrugging as best a cat could, Napoleon grabbed the bird, climbed the tree, and slipped in through the open glass door to find Cornelia.

A pair of golden, feline eyes watched him from the top of the tree. Her whiskers twitched in delight and she leapt from the tree, landing on the balcony railing almost seven feet below. A shriek came from inside the Hale residence.

"EW! Napoleon, bad cat!" came Cornelia's voice. The feline followed Napoleon's trail and found herself in the middle of a war zone. Cornelia was chasing Napoleon with a broom, and a smaller version of the blond was chasing after her sister screaming. Distinct yells from downstairs to be quiet were also heard.

"Cornelia, leave my cat alone!" she cried. Cornelia rounded on Lillian.

"Tell your _stupid_ cat to stop bringing home dead birds!" commanded Cornelia. Lillian frowned and picked her black cat up from the ground.

"Cornelia look!" whispered Lillian excitedly as she pointed to the new cat in the living room.

"Napoleon who is this?" asked Cornelia, reaching out to the brown tabby. The cat reached out her head to sniff the earth guardian's fingers, then stepped forward and rubbed against her hand, then her arm, and her legs.

"What a nice kitty," cooed Lillian, setting Napoleon down near her.

"Napoleon's got a girlfriend," laughed Cornelia, sounding very childish. Napoleon hung his head in defeat and glanced over at the cat, her golden eyes fixed on him. A shiver ran through his ebony body, causing him to break his gaze.

"She looks like a tiger," pointed Lillian. The cat purred calmly as they examined her, she seemed to like all the attention. She was a dark, chocolate brown color, with even darker brown stripes similar to a tiger's down her black, legs, neck, and tail. The doorbell rang and sent the new cat under the couch. Cornelia got to her feet and buzzed her guests in. Joining the other girls outside the door, Cornelia called Lillian.

"We'll be back in a few hours," smiled Cornelia, reaching to close the door until a small hand appeared and stopped her.

"No, I want to go too!" Lillian complained.

"No, you stay home and be a good little girl," grinned Cornelia. Hay Lin looked down at her.

"Why don't you keep your new cat company," she added.

"She's not-" Cornelia was interrupted by her sister.

"If you don't let me come I'll-" Lillian broke off, thinking up a good threat, "I'll tell Mom you have magic!"

"What!" shouted the chorus of voices.

"You wouldn't!" scowled Cornelia.

"You're worse than my brother!" Irma complained.

"You'll never get your magic if you tell," said Will _trying_ to be calm.

"Elyon only said I only couldn't tell about my powers or Meridian, not you guys," smiled Lillian.

"Taranee, does your Mom need any more lawyers, this girl's the queen of loopholes," joked Irma, whispering to Taranee.

"Fine," sighed Cornelia.

"Yes!" jumped Lillian. She followed the girls outside and to the mall. Napoleon watched them leave and coxed the other cat out into the open.

"So," he said, not really expecting an answer. The tabby purred and rubbed up against him, jumping up onto the couch and stepped on the remote. Even though it was pointed towards the wall the TV flicked on and began playing the news.

"The mayor today has passed a bill to try to keep our neighborhood safer by allowing police to arrest and detain any people caught loitering around or joining suspicious groups in our city. Our mayor says the new laws will help prevent any series of disappearances from reoccurring like they did back in '57, remember when-" droned the reporter. Napoleon shook his head and joined the cat on the couch as they watched the news end and "Top fifty police arrests" come on. Napoleon fell asleep and awaited the girls' return.

**--- ---**

"Cornelia, I want to go in that store!" begged Lillian, pointing at a costume store.

"Go then," shrugged Cornelia as she took another sip of her drink. Lillian smiled and ran off, disappearing behind the door.

"Do you think she'd really tell?" asked Irma, leaning back in the chair she sat on.

"If she did, my parents would probably tell her she dreamed it or something," sighed Cornelia.

"Do you think you should let her run off without you?" asked Taranee, watching the store.

"You want to play mom all day? Go ahead," Cornelia replied.

"When are your parents getting back anyway?" asked Hay Lin. She pushed her hair back over her shoulders and yawned.

"Tomorrow,"

"Oh," Will responded, she held back her own yawn and asked, "Where'd the cat come from?"

"She just followed Napoleon in today, after he brought me another dead bird," cringed Cornelia. A loud crack echoed throughout the desert, themed mall. The guardians turned around and saw a bedazzling display of fireworks shooting up from the mini pyramid.

"How much you wanna bet that Uriah and his goons are behind this?" asked Irma.

"School's not even over and he's already set his sights outside it," Will added.

"Want to find out?" asked Taranee, her glasses flaming over. The girls smiled, ducked under the table as a firework flew above them, and watched Taranee as she over powered the next one that shot up. Before it exploded, she aimed it back towards the pyramid and watched the three boys scurry out of the way as it exploded. Setting her hand down and smiling, the five girls got out from under the table and watched three slightly burned boys being lead away by mall police. The guardians sat back down at the table and finished their milkshakes.

**--- ---**

It had only been two hours since the girls had left, but Napoleon was already annoyed. He almost missed Cornelia and Lillian's fighting, _almost_. The tiger, tabby cat hadn't given him a moment to himself, when he awoke on the couch he found her resting on top of him. As he got up to go outside, she followed him, purring contently. He was deeply relieved when he saw the guardians come back with Lillian after the third hour of their expedition.

"Napoleon!" called Lillian, picking up her cat and dropping her bags on the ground, "you should have seen the fireworks in the mall!" The other cat appeared in less than a second and twirled herself around all the girl's legs when she realized she couldn't get to Napoleon.

"See ya in school tomorrow Corny!" called Irma as she shut the door. Cornelia found herself shouting at the door to stop calling her that and rolled her eyes.

"You. Bed. Now!" Cornelia shouted at her sister, anger flowing through her veins.

"But it's only eight!" complained Lillian, stroking the two cats' ears.

"BED!" commanded Cornelia. Lillian stuck her tongue out at her sister and stomped off to her room. Cornelia buried her head in the couch pillows and screamed, trying to burn off some steam.

Luckily the chaos ended when Cornelia's parents came back Monday morning and saw their girls off to school for their last week of actual learning. Finals came and went with little more than a panic attack from both Irma and Will when they almost missed their computer exam.

With school gone the tension eased, but only slightly. Lillian became annoyed with the cat that followed Napoleon everywhere he went. Mrs. Hale had twice chased the cat out, but only to find she had appeared back on Napoleon's tail the next day. Two weeks from the end of school Napoleon crept out onto the balcony at three in the morning. The cool night air blew against his fur; he turned and looked inside the living room to see for once that the golden eyes of the other cat where closed.

Silent as an owl, Napoleon padded off the balcony, down the tree, and onto the sidewalk. Throwing a second glance at the slightly opened balcony door, he bounded off. Not knowing where he was going, the black cat crept around the shadows of Sheffield Institute. Lots of trees adorned the front courtyard beckoning to him. Setting off away from the building and down the street, Napoleon watched a light pop on from a nearby house. Curiosity called him closer to the building. Leaping up to the windowsill Napoleon looked inside and felt a smile form under his whiskers. He knocked on the window with his paws and waited as the girl inside let him in.

"Napoleon, what are you doing here?" asked Irma.

"Hiding," responded the cat.

"From?" asked Irma, a yawn spreading over her face.

"That cat, she keeps following me," replied Napoleon, taking shelter under her bed.

"Playing hard to get are we?" smiled Irma, checking her alarm clock, "So why did you chose to run away at, four fifteen in the morning?"

"It took me an hour to get here!" growled Napoleon in frustration, "what are you doing up anyway?"

"My brother," sighed Irma not concerned, "he was staying at a friend's house and was supposed to be back at dark, but he never showed up. So I'm stuck at home waiting for him while my parents are out searching. He's probably run off again though; him and mom are not getting along well." Napoleon felt a little awkward at hearing he had just barged into Irma's house at a time of crisis. Irma flopped down on her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

"Just wake me up if I fall asleep ok?" yawned Irma. Seconds later the brunette was snoring away and Napoleon didn't bother trying to wake her. Instead he walked down the hallway to the front door and found a nearby window. Sitting on top of the couch, he watched the sidewalk for any signs of a young boy making his way up to the door of the Lair household.

Napoleon woke the next morning to the pounding rain outside hitting the window. He looked around and saw someone had moved him back to the bedroom, most likely Irma. Stretching, yawning, and blinking, Napoleon jumped off the bed and ambled down the hall into the kitchen. He leapt onto Irma's lap and eyed her uneaten sausages.

"You can have them," Irma sighed, placing Napoleon on the table. The cat eagerly licked up the links and purred contently next to Irma. The phone rang and Irma jumped to get it.

"Hello? --- Oh hi Dad --- no he's not --- did you- --- ok, I'll keep waiting --- good luck, bye," Irma hung up the phone and sat down on the couch looking genuinely worried.

"Don't worry, he's probably fi-"

"Don't say it!" commanded Irma, interrupting Napoleon, "Don't say he's fine. You don't know!"

"But," Napoleon added.

"No, just shut up, if anything happened to him I don't know what I'd do," cried Irma into a pillow. Napoleon walked over to the sobbing guardian and broke his code of normal behavior. He curled up under her arm and let her stroke his black fur for comfort. He found it calming after a while and mentally noted to let Lillian scratch him more often.

The door opened breaking the calm serenity inside the house. Irma's teal eyes blinked open as she yawned and stretched, hopping off the couch and looking into the kitchen where all the lights were blazing.

"Chris!" she shouted as she hugged her little brother. He was soaked from head to toe, and when Irma let him go, she too was wet.

"Where were you?" she asked, shaking her wet hands in the air.

"He says he got lost," frowned Mrs. Lair.

"I was! Tyler and I found this shortcut to get to my house and we ended up somewhere weird! It was like we were back in time, when there was only forests!" Chris explained.

"Likely story," Irma's father responded.

"No, and then we found these people, and they were weird too. We asked them how to get to Tyler's street and they acted like they never heard of it. We tried to call you but they didn't have a phone either! They were like what we learned about in school, when it was all dark," said Chris, trying to remember the word.

"The dark ages," coughed Napoleon from the couch. Irma glared at him.

"Yeah thanks Irma, the dark ages, they was like them!" exclaimed Chris. Irma couldn't believe what her brother was saying, and her parents _didn't_ believe him.

"Christopher I want you to go to your room and think about what you did. Don't come out until you're sorry you lied to us, or you can come up with better excuses!" ordered Irma's father. Mrs. Lair frowned at the last bit.

"Chris wait, how did you get there?" asked Irma.

"Irma, don't encourage him," scowled her mother.

"Tell me Chris," begged Irma. Chris smiled and replied.

"When we were walking down the alley behind the shops in town, we saw a glowing blue light from under some boxes. We looked to investigate and saw the jungle, pretty weird huh?"

"A fold?" asked Irma, accidently saying it aloud.

"What dear? Chris. Bedroom. NOW!" ordered Mrs. Lair, she was about to sit on the couch, but jumped off when she heard a hiss from under her.

"Did we get a snake?" asked Chris, poking his head from around the corner of the room to peek in.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM!" screamed Mrs. Lair.

"Mom, it's just a cat," said Irma, but when she looked down she saw not one, but two cats. The brown one was hissing fiercely and Napoleon was slowly creeping away. Irma's mother jumped up, ran to the broom closet, and plucked out an old-school broom.

"Get out of my house!" she ordered as she whacked the broom at the two cats. They turned tail and headed out the door Irma held open for them.

"Sorry Napoleon," called Irma as she shut the door, "I forgot to tell you, my Mom's not the best animal person." Napoleon frowned, turned around, and accidently pressed his nose up against the brown cat's as he walked forward. Both felines leaped backwards in shock, Napoleon more than ever. He was sure the brown cat was following him because she liked him, but this recent event proved otherwise. Smiling slightly, Napoleon padded off in the drizzle and hopped up a tree. The brown cat followed his every move, but chose a branch higher than his and quickly nodded off to sleep. Finding sleep seemed like a good option, Napoleon let his dreams carry him away.

**--- ---**

Taranee opened her door for the third time since dinner to yell at Peter to turn his music down. Like the other times, he pretended not to hear her until she pounded on his door, let herself in, and rotated the knob to the left.

"Come on sis, it's not like you're doing homework!" complained Peter. Taranee frowned at her brother, shut his and her own door then sat at her computer again, sighing as she heard the music raise back up. Just before she started typing she saw a black silhouette move outside her window. The fire guardian opened the window and screamed as the furry body of Napoleon collided with her.

"Shut the window quick!" he ordered. She did.

"You can't be here, if my mom finds out, oh," Taranee said, looking to her door.

"What's that _noise_?" asked Napoleon, pressing his ears to his head trying to shield his mind from the racket across the hall.

"Peter," responded Taranee, "Napoleon my dad's allergic to fur, you can't stay here,"

"Can't I just stay the night? I'll be out before morning," promised the cat, lifting his paw in a fake oath.

"Fine, I'm going to bed anyway," Taranee powered her computer down and slipped under the covers. Sitting on the cushioned seat by the window, Napoleon cuddled up in a fuzzy ball and slept off his day of troubles. Outside, the two golden eyes watched him sleep in the fire guardian's room.

"Taranee!" screamed Mrs. Cook. Brown eyes shot open, as the owner jumped out of bed and raced to her mother in the dining room.

"Yes?" yawned Taranee, fixing her glasses on her nose

"Do you know what I found in your room this morning?" Taranee's mother asked.

"No?"

"Do you know why your father is sneezing and his allergies are flaring up?"

"If I said ye-"

"Taranee you know your father is allergic to fur, yet this is the second time you have brought an animal home without my permission,"

"But I didn't bring-"

"So the cat isn't yours?"

"What cat?" lied Taranee.

"Then I don't feel as bad as I did," Mrs. Cook smiled and finished setting the table.

"What did you do?" asked Taranee.

"Oh I just tossed it back outside,"

"You _threw_ Napoleon out the window!"

"Napoleon?"

"The cat!"

"Oh no, I just shoed him out your window and off the balcony,"

"The second story balcony!"

"Yes, now if you're quite done, you have to help me run some errands,"

"Yes mom," sighed Taranee, walking back to her room to change.

**--- ---**

Napoleon shook out all four of his legs to make sure nothing was broken. Lucky for him they all worked fine, but his luck was short lived. The tiger striped, tabby cat had found him again and walked with him down the sidewalk. Napoleon tried to tell her to get lost, but she apparently didn't understand a word he said. He tried hissing and growling and all other measures of cat defense, but nothing repelled her. Stopping at a park in the afternoon on his aimless wanderings, Napoleon crossed paths with a stray dog. Seeing the two cats the dog took off and ran after them. Napoleon darted to the right and disappeared over a car and almost got killed by a bicycle.

"Napoleon!" screamed the rider as her package of food tipped and covered him with white sauce and egg noodles.

"Sorry," the air guardian mumbled. Napoleon looked rather pleased with himself as he licked off the greasy sauce and jumped into the basket on Hay Lin's bike.

"What are you doing?" she asked already starting to peddle back to the restaurant.

"Can I stay with you, please?" he begged.

"You're a health hazard," Hay Lin said, then quietly added, "to the restaurant I mean." As she got home and asked her parents, but they too, vetoed the idea. Hay Lin was forced to send Napoleon on his way before any customers found out he was in the kitchen of the Silver Dragon. Napoleon left the poor girl to deliver more take out without his interference. He suddenly remembered that Hay Lin lived just a few blocks south of Will, he smiled and sprinted towards the last guardian's home.

**--- ---**

"Wake me up at nine o'clock, no earlier," commanded Will, pointing at her alarm clock.

"But dear, if you don't get up earlier you'll never get anything done!" pointed out the frog clock.

"Does it look like I care?" asked Will, static jumping from her hair, "if you ring before eight tomorrow, I _will_ replace you."

"Got it, sleeping in," replied the clock then it shut up. Will threw her head back and sighed. She looked over to what was tapping on her window and let the black cat inside.

"Napoleon? What in the world are you doing here?" asked Will laughing.

"Do I have to go over this every time?" scowled the cat.

"What now?" asked Will, pulling over a chair and sitting in it backwards, her head resting on her hands which curled over the back.

"I've been to everyone's house!" shouted Napoleon, "Irma's mother chased me out with a broom, Taranee's mother threw me off a balcony practically, and I didn't even get inside Hay Lin's place before they banished me, you're my last hope!"

"Well, your last hope's going to the pool today to swim, I doubt you want to come and do that, so you just stay in my closet or something until I get back," suggested Will. Napoleon felt that everyone in the world hated him as he leapt up to the top shelf of Will closet and snuggled into her old shirts for a nap.

"Napoleon, I'm back!" called Will, "wow you sure can sleep." Napoleon, still tired, jumped into Will's arms and was set on the bed.

"Still tired?" asked Will, giggling as he flopped on her bed and nodded.

"Why'd you wake me up?" asked Napoleon, closing his eyes again.

"So you could sleep somewhere more comfy," smiled Will and pointed to her bed. Napoleon curled up on one of her pillows as watched Will leave the window open to let some air into the room. She tucked herself into bed as well.

"Remember, nine o'clock," Will muttered. The alarm clock flashed in understanding and the lights went out.

At nine o'clock sharp the clock went crazy, using every method it could to wake Will up, and it succeeded. Opening her eyes and yawning, Will saw Napoleon sleeping on her pillow. Next to the black cat was a brown striped one. Before she could register what was going on her mother walked into the room.

"Will, what was that awful racket?" she asked. Seeing the two cats on Will's bed she smiled and came closer.

"Just my alarm clock Mom," replied Will, waking up Napoleon.

"Oh isn't this one adorable?" coed Susan Vandom as she lifted the brown cat in the air. The cat purred contently at Will, her golden eyes staring right at her, almost through her, making the guardian shiver.

"Whose cats are these?" asked Will's mother. Slightly confused at why her mother hadn't thrown them both out, Will responded.

"Napoleon is Cornelia's, and the other is a stray I guess."

"Let's keep her," said Susan.

"What?" asked Will, not believing what her mother was saying.

"We can call her Mel, and she can live here with us. You'd like that wouldn't you Will?" asked her mother.

"Wait, your saying we can keep this stray cat which just comes into my room and you wouldn't let me keep Matt's present, the door-mouse, Mr. Huggles?" Will reasoned.

"I hate mice. Besides, I used to have a cat just like this when I was younger, his name was Mel," said Mrs. Vandom, lost in her memories.

"Mel is a boy's name," said Will, hoping to stick with classics like Fluffy or Sugar.

"Well, her real name could be Melissa, yes I knew I girl in high school whose name was Melissa, and everyone would call her Mel for short," smiled Mrs. Vandom, putting Mel down on the bed and leaving the room. Napoleon looked relieved as Mel rubbed up against Will and not him.

"I'll tell Cornelia to come pick you up," sighed Will as she picked up the phone. She dialed the number and told Cornelia the whereabouts of her sister's cat.

After Cornelia took Napoleon home, Will expected Mel to have disappeared after him. To her dismay, the brown, tiger striped, tabby cat stayed with her and her mother.

Will watched the weeks go by, June fading into July and bringing more heat to the city. She hadn't seen much of the other girls lately and knew they should do something together. While she was thinking about her friends, she found herself absentmindedly petting Mel as they curled up on her bed in the wake of her fan.

Clicking the lights off in the room Will fell asleep on top of her covers, trying to keep cool as the fan continued to whirl. Mel looked out the window and the moonlight caught in her eyes. The golden orbs shown for but a moment more, but soon blinked out as the cat fell asleep.

--- (Insert line) ---

Episode 4 done! Up next is **Episode 5 (Fun in the Sun)** Yeah! The Witch girls go on a short vacation. Loving all the reviews, thanks you guys!


	5. Fun in the Sun

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** (FYI) In case you haven't noticed by now, when I separate the words by (---) then the person is talking on the phone and those are the words heard on their side of the conversation. One (-) means the person speaking is interrupted by the next person speaking. This is just a fun episode, no transforming... Lots of Acronyms!

* * *

**Episode 5 (Fun in the Sun)**

Rain fell from the sky as though giants had poured it out of buckets from above the darkening clouds. Reading a magazine in her room, Will placidly stoked her new cat's ears and turned the page. Downstairs, Will heard the phone but made no move to get it. The ringing stopped after the fifth chime as Mrs. Vandom answered the phone.

"Hello? --- Yes, this is Susan --- she's not doing anything --- really? --- two weeks --- tomorrow?! --- It's no problem --- oh yes --- thank you --- bye." Will heard the snatches of the conversation her mother was having on the phone and turned another page. Her mother appeared in her doorway, beaming.

"Guess what!" she exclaimed.

"You've won a trip to Hawaii?" asked Will, putting aside her magazine.

"No,"

"Then?"

"You're going to summer camp!"

"WHAT!" screamed Will, jumping to her feet, dropping Mel. The cat gave a curt hiss and disappeared under her desk.

"Taranee's mother just called and told me that she'd be sending her daughter off to camp, and they said it was perfectly fine, and recommended that campers bring friends with them, so I said you could go with the other girls," explained Susan.

"The other girls are going too?" asked Will.

"Well hopefully," smiled her mother, "you'd better start packing, you leave tomorrow after lunch."

**--- ---**

"Tomorrow?" asked Irma in disbelief as her mother got off the phone.

"Yes, that's what Mrs. Cook just told me," responded Mrs. Lair.

"Why is Taranee going to camp and taking us with?" asked Irma.

"Because apparently the Cooks feel that their daughter would benefit more from the outdoor experience of summer camp with her friends," said Mrs. Lair, pulling out a suitcase from Irma's closet and starting to pack it. "I was told there's a lake, so you'll need a swimsuit and sandals. Oh and lots of bug spray for time around the campfire."

"Can I bring marshmallows too?" asked Irma with fake enthusiasm.

"They probably have those," Mrs. Lair responded, tuning out her daughter's sarcasm and picking through her drawers.

**--- ---**

"And hiking boots and a raincoat," added Mrs. Hale to her daughter's list.

"Why?" asked Cornelia as she lay on her bed facing the ceiling.

"It might rain, and you're bound to go on hikes," reasoned her mother.

"Why me?" Cornelia asked the ceiling.

"This should do it. Just ask the other girls if they're bringing anything else," said Mrs. Hale as she handed her daughter the list she had just written.

"I hate this," muttered Cornelia.

"Oh, the fresh air will do you some good. You've stayed in this house for the last two weeks and have done _nothing_!" scowled her mother.

"Cornelia's in trouble," laughed Lillian, poking her head inside her sister's bedroom.

"Go Away!" commanded Cornelia. When her sister didn't move, Cornelia slammed the door shut and walked to her bed.

**--- ---**

"This is _so_ cool!" smiled Hay Lin as her father hung up the phone.

"If you want to go, you have to promise to help around the restaurant more when you get back," Hay Lin's father said.

"Oh just let her go," smiled Yan Lin as she entered the room, "otherwise, she'll think that the entire world is a giant Chinese restaurant." Her parents reluctantly nodded their approval and sent her to her room to pack.

**--- ---**

"Camp G.A.F.T. forest," announced Taranee's mother as she pulled into the camp parking lot. The five girls piled out of the car and looked around, watching the many other campers pull their bags into the camp.

"How long did that take?" yawned Hay Lin.

"Only six hours," smiled Mrs. Cook.

"We made it here a whole hour early," whispered Taranee as she mother started to walk off, "the directions said it takes at least seven hours to get here from Heatherfield."

"Welcome to camp Gaft forest. What are the campers' names?" asked a sugary voiced, camp supervisor.

"Taranee, Irma, Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Will," recited Mrs. Cook.

"Yes, cabin seven, welcome girls," smiled the women, pointing them off in the right direction. Mrs. Cook waved goodbye as the five girls walked down the trail leading to the cabins.

"I have something to tell you guys," Irma said, hoisting her bag over her shoulder.

"What?" asked Hay Lin, smiling as she watched a bird fly off trail to avoid them.

"A few weeks ago my brother said he found a fold," Irma responded.

"What?" asked Will.

"No way!" exclaimed Taranee.

"Well, he didn't know it was a fold, but he described it perfectly," Irma explained, "my parents grounded him for being home late and convinced him it wasn't real though."

"Did you open a fold and leave it open Will?" asked Cornelia.

"No," replied Will.

"I wonder how it got there, is it still there?" asked Taranee.

"No," Irma replied, "Chris said when him and Tyler backtracked and found their way back to the street, the blue light was gone, it must've clo-"

"Look! Cabin Seven!" exclaimed Hay Lin, skipping up the two wooden steps and throwing open the screen door.

"Well, at least it looks new," sighed Cornelia as she followed the others up the stairs and into the cabin. Three bunk beds faced the back wall, each made of wooden supports and had green blankets thrown over the mattresses. Hay Lin scrambled up onto the top bunk of one of the beds and set her bag down over the pile of blankets. Taranee set her things on the bed under Hay Lin's and began moving her clothing to the drawers next to her bed. Cornelia and Irma both raced to the top bunk of the other bed near the wall and started arguing over it. The door to their cabin opened, but the two girls just argued louder.

"Oh," muttered the shocked girl, "hello."

"Um, hi. Are you in this cabin too?" asked Will, tossing her own things on the lower bed of the last open bunk.

"Yeah, I'm Sam," the girl replied. She walked into the room, allowing the light to come in around her as she glanced at each of the _witch_ girls. Will noticed the girl's hair was a bright shade of violet, most likely just recently dyed.

"I'm Will, this is Taranee, Irma, Cornelia, and Hay Lin," Will said after a moment of silence, waving her hand at each girl in turn.

"Hello everyone," smiled Sam. She walked in and threw her things on the only empty bed left, the one above Will's. Cornelia had shoved Irma off the top bed and claimed it for herself. Irma, dejectedly sat down on the bed under Cornelia.

"Is Sam short for like Samantha or something?" asked Irma, piling her clothing on her bed.

"Kinda, but I prefer Sam," Sam annouced, "Sam, Sammy, anything but-"

"WILL ALL CAMPERS PLEASE GO TO THE MESS HALL," the announcer roared over a megaphone from outside. The six girls stopped unpacking and left cabin seven, heading where the other campers were leading them. There they discovered they'd have the same tables each day for every meal.

"If everyone could please sit at their assigned table, then we could get started," shouted the sugary voiced lady who had told them where to find their cabin. "I'm the head camp councilor, if anyone needs anything the regular councilors can't help with, please come to me. Some of you have already noticed, but in case you haven't, the front of your cabins all have a section over your door which is painted white. You are to come up with a word from your initials to put there so everyone knows which cabin is which. Here at camp G.A.F.T. forest, our founder, Mrs. Gaft was very into acronyms. The camp itself is one as well. Girls And Friends Together, G.A.F.T. So have fun, the paint to paint the words on your cabins is being delivered." The noise level quickly rose after the lady was done speaking.

"So, what do we have to work with?" asked Sam, pulling out a pencil and paper, eager to come up with something brilliant.

"We already hav-"

"Will, that's a W," said Sam, obviously to no one but herself as she wrote a W next to the S on the paper, "Hay Lin is an H. Taranee is a T-"

"And a C and I, for Irma and Cornelia," offered Hay Lin.

"Ok, so we have-" Sam muttered to herself, "OH, SWITCH and WITCHS!"

"But that's not how you spell witches," frowned Taranee.

"I never was the brightest with grammar," smiled Sam, "let's go with WITCHS."

"Witchs, I wonder what other people have," asked Cornelia.

"Most times, people's names don't make words, so they just write them in the blank space and get made fun of by the people whose names did make something," sighed Sam.

"Have you been here before?" asked Irma.

"This is my sixth year here," smiled the purple, haired girl, "I've been going here since I was… eight." Her brown eyes twinkled as they walked into the sun and down to the cabin.

"Hay Lin, you should paint the words up on the cabin, you're probably the best," smiled Cornelia. Sam looked up about to argue but stopped short and closed her mouth. Hay Lin grabbed the black paint and got to work on the task of painting. Ten minutes later, cabin seven had the word WITCHS painted in Hay Lin's style of writing over the door in shiny, wet paint.

"We still have some time before it gets dark, I can show you around if you want," offered Sam.

"Sounds good, thanks," smiled Taranee. The five girls followed Sam around the camp.

"This is the lake, Lake RAINBOW," stated Sam

"Another acronym?" asked Cornelia, looking at the lake.

"Yep, you heard the head councilor, the camp's big on those…. thingy's," laughed Sam, "Rainbow; Relaxing, All Interesting, Nice Body Of Water."

"Does everything stand for something else here?" asked Irma, reaching her hand into the water.

"Yep," Sam replied happily, she pointed to the right and the girls saw a bunch of small sail boats, "ok the dock for boats is over there, each cabin has one boat for the race at the end of the two weeks."

"A race?" asked Will. Sam led them past the barn and archery range, making a full circle back to their cabin just as the dark started to creep in.

"At the end of the camp session, each cabin races against the others under their cabin name," explained Sam as the girls walked into their cabin. "It starts out with the first person doing orientation; you know working a compass, to find the next girl and her horse. When they are found, the riding portion takes place. The rider has to retrieve the sailboat's sail from the boy's camp, Camp Clearwater, a mile away to the west. When it is retrieved, the rider hands it off to the next person. They swim the sail to the dock only a quarter mile away, where the last two people are waiting. The sailing caption and the sail fixer person, that's usually my job. The five people get in the boat and they sail around the lake, staying within the markers on the water to find the last person, the archer."

"Wait, so how long does this take?" asked Cornelia.

"It starts the afternoon of the second to last day, the contestants are required to make camp for at least eight hours in the night, then it starts off again in the morning, and ends at around dusk," answered Sam, happy to be the center of attention.

"Sounds fun," smiled Hay Lin, pulling out her PJs from her bag.

"It is, last year my cabin won third place, you even win medals if you get in the top five places," smiled Sam. Will opened her bag and screamed in surprise as a chocolate brown, furry animal leaped out and scrambled onto her shoulder.

"Mel?!" questioned Will, ripping the cat off her shoulder and setting her on the bed.

"Who?" asked Taranee.

"My mom named her Mel after she showed up with Napoleon at my house," responded Will.

"What a cute cat," coed Sam as she patted her on the head. Mel didn't look thrilled, but put up with it since Will was standing over her, watching.

"How did she get here?" asked Hay Lin, hanging off her bed to get a better look.

"She was in my bag," answered Will, "I don't know how she got in there since I just checked everything right before I left."

"I wish I could have brought my dog Snickers, but he would _never_ have fit in my bag," laughed Sam, "he's a black Newfoundland." She climbed into the top bunk and promptly fell asleep, snoring slightly.

"She's a little weird," said Cornelia.

"Cornelia," scowled Irma, "she might hear you."

"You think everyone's weird," added Hay Lin.

"I think she's nice," smiled Will as she changed into her sleepwear and pulled the covers over her head.

"Good night," said Taranee. A gentle chorus of good nights filled the cabin as the girls went to sleep.

"Good morning girls, I'm the archery instructor here at camp," smiled a plump old lady, "just call me Mrs. V." Yawning and watching their instructor, the six girls of cabin Witchs were eager to get their hands on a bow and start shooting. They had just arrived from breakfast, watching Irma shovel down five pancakes and four glasses of orange juice, saying she didn't eat dinner last night.

"Now, would everyone please take a bow from the rack and a protector for your shooting arm," said Mrs. V. When all the girls had done so, she picked up her own bow and continued to speak. "Archery is a fun sport, but difficult to master. Each one of you has different colored arrows to shoot at the six targets in the field. The first three with red bull-eye's are the closest, the next two with blue bulls-eye's are farther, and the last one with the green bulls-eye is the farthest. Hopefully one of you, by the end of the camp, should be able to get a bulls-eye on it."

Each of the twelve girls in the row looked down at their bucket of arrows. Sam had bright, purple arrows, apparently Mrs. V wanted to match her hair to be funny, Irma had teal arrows, Cornelia had lime green, Will had orange, Taranee had red, and Hay Lin had white arrows. The other six girls from the cabin next to them pulled out black, yellow, brown, silver, dark blue, and pink feathered arrows.

"Now to shoot, the camp has come up with another acronym for ARCHERY," smiled Mrs. V. Irma and Cornelia sighed while Hay Lin suppressed a laugh. "Aim." Mrs. V took a golden arrow from her bucket and aimed it. "Relax." The girls watched as their instructor relaxed the tension slightly. "Center." The arrow in the bow quivered slightly as it was slid down to the center of the bow. "Hold." Mrs. V smiled and held the bow out at her side. "Extend." Her arm extended and the bow string grew taunt. "Release," shouted Mrs. V over the twang of the bow and arrow releasing. "And Yell, when you get a bulls-eye," smiled the teacher, looking over to the first target. The golden arrow's feathers stuck out with half of the arrow's shaft from the red center of the target.

"Your turn," she smiled. The girls raised their bows and set their first arrows.

"Remember girls, A.R.C.H.E.R.Y." called Mrs. V from behind the group. Three arrows flew into the air from the girls of the other cabin, all landing short of the first target. Seconds later both the teal and red arrow flews from their bows and landed only feet from the center target.

"Almost there! Keep trying!" called Mrs. V as she watched them all attempt to come close to hitting a target. The third purple arrow Sam shot landed on the outermost ring of the target, and she shouted with excitement. Her victory was short lived as Cornelia's lime green arrow hit the center of the middle target.

"Look I got a bulls-eye!" exclaimed Cornelia, her hatred for camp dissolving as she pointed at it for the other girls to see.

"Lucky shot," growled Sam under her breath.

"What Sam?" asked Hay Lin. She knew perfectly well what the purple, haired girl had said.

"Nothing Hay Lin," Sam replied, shooting another arrow and missing the target completely. After a few more dead on hits on the first target, Cornelia aimed her sights on the next set of blue centered circles. While she attempted to hit the rings, the girl from the other cabin with the black arrows hit the bulls-eye on the right most target and moved onto the same one as Cornelia. The two girls glanced at each other, than started a mad shooting race to see who could hit the center first.

"Everyone, please stop," called Mrs. V, "I'm sorry to say our time is drawing to a close and you must get ready to go onto your next activity." Cornelia launched one more arrow, which hit the inner ring on the target but not the center, and returned her bow to the rack with the others.

"Great job dear," smiled Mrs. V, patting Cornelia on the back, "not many of the campers get the hang of archery so quickly, have you ever done it before?"

"No," responded Cornelia, "but it's so much fun."

"I know exactly what you mean. I can't wait to see you again tomorrow dear," smiled Mrs. V as she walked over to congratulate the girl from the other cabin.

"What do we have next?" asked Irma. Will pulled out the piece of paper which had been attached to their door when they woke up. She found archery on the list after breakfast and looked further.

"Water safety, 10:30 to 12:00, it says to wear your swimsuits. Then lunch for a little less than an hour," Will read aloud. Sam led them to lake after they put on their suits under their clothing, still flustered that Cornelia had been better than her at archery.

"That girl you were shooting against looked pretty surprised you were betting her Cornelia," said Irma.

"The girl with the black arrows?" asked Sam, "yeah she would be, her name's Vanessa. I was in her cabin last year. She's one of the best at archery, but she looked like she lost most of her talent."

"She looked like a sore loser to me," said Taranee. The girls walked to the lake and sat down with five other groups of girls, including Vanessa's group to listen to their new instructors.

"Welcome girls," called a voice from the end of the dock. As the person came closer he was joined by another. They walked down to the girls and waited for them to quiet down.

"We're the lifeguards here at camp," explained the women, she looked to be about in her mid twenties, "The camp requires all of our campers to pass a swimming and boat safety test before we can clear you to use the lake and boats." The campers nodded their approval amongst themselves and waited for the next set of instructions.

"First we would like everyone to grab a lifejacket and join us one the camp's largest boat, the _Rainbow Cruiser_, and no, _cruiser_ does not stand for anything," said the man. Several of the girls let out sighs of relief, including Irma and Cornelia. Everyone grabbed a bright, orange lifejacket and slipped them on while they walked over to the boat. Hay Lin spotted an off-white sailboat with a light, blue sail and pointed it out to the girls. On the side of the sailboat, WITCHS, was clearly visible in what appeared to be waterproof, black stickers. Sam pulled them onto the large boat and they listened to the two lifeguards as the boat started to sail.

"You can call me Lifeguard Jim, or Jim. This is Lifeguard Pat, or just Pat," introduced Jim.

"After you pass these tests, you will no longer need to wear these lifejackets while on your smaller sailboats boats, unless you want to," added Pat. She steered the boat out into the middle of the lake and cut the motor. The girls listened to the safety speech the lifeguards, as Sam told them, did every year, and waited to get into the water.

"-once you prove you can swim from this boat to the shore, you no longer have to wear the lifejackets in the boat, unless the flag at the dock is red, indicating the water is rough," finished Jim, "any questions?" Will raised her hand.

"Yes," Pat said as she pointed at Will, "name, then question."

"I'm Will; do we have to swim to shore with these things _on_?" Will questioned.

"No, you don't have to if you don't want, they do make swimming a bother," she laughed. Sighs of relief echoed around the boat until another girl put her hand up.

"She was in my cabin last year too, her and Vanessa are friends, they must have come together again," whispered Sam to Irma who was sitting next to her.

"Yes?" asked Pat.

"Irene, you said we _could_ take them off and not _have_ to right?" she asked.

"Oh yes, not to worry. If you would like to swim with it on then go right ahead, just make it to the bank, ok?" smiled Pat.

"Everyone in the water!" shouted Jim. Will threw off her lifejacket and dove into the water. She surfaced and watched the rest of the girls jump in after her. Not everyone had taken off their lifejackets like she had thought, a third of the girls entered the water holding onto them tightly. When the boat was empty, aside from the two lifeguards, Jim called to them with a megaphone.

"Ok, this isn't a race, but when I say ok, all of you are to swim to shore. Even if you make it to shore, there is still a chance that we won't grant you permission to swim or sail without the lifejacket if you are too slow," announced Jim. Will smiled as she surveyed the other girls in the water, in this group she knew she'd be at the shore first.

"Ok, GO!" Jim shouted. Will lazily started swimming freestyle toward the shore, while most of the girls doggy paddled their way through the water. She watched Cornelia and Taranee get splashed by Irma before the guardian of water swam away to torture Sam and Hay Lin. Out of the corner of her eye Will caught sight of another girl quickly closing the gap she had put between herself and the group. Determined to reach shore first, Will picked up the pace and imagined herself in a competition back at Sheffield. The water was murky as she got closer to where the land met the water, blurring her vision. Her finger tips touched the sand underneath her only slightly and warned her of the approaching shoreline. When she reached it, Will was out of breath and rubbed the water out of her eyes.

"Wow, that was amazing!" complemented the sugary voiced head councilor looking down at them in the water, "you girls are really good, do you swim in competitions at home?" Both the girl and Will nodded.

"Well I must tell the two lifeguards about your abilities, what are your names?" asked the lady.

"Will,"

"Taylor,"

"Perfect, you'd better get dried off then, lunch starts in ten minutes," the lady said, still smiling. Will pulled herself out of the water, grabbed a towel from the stack, and started to dry off as the first of the other girls arrived from the swim. Irma was among them with Sam. The three girls waited for the rest of their group at the water's edge. Hay Lin and Taranee swam in with a bunch of other people, laughing. They grabbed towels and waited with their cabin for Cornelia. A flash of blond drew their eyes and they saw her approach. She stepped on shore with five minutes to lunch, and just ahead of the boat.

"You're the last girl to finish before we docked; anyone who swims in after now will have to wear their lifejackets," said Pat to Cornelia, throwing her a towel. Only five girls finished after the boat and all of them were swimming in their life vests, the last one being Irene.

Will lead the girls to the cabin to change back into their clothes and then off to lunch. They walked through the short hallway which led to the mess hall, and Irma stopped.

"Sam is this you?" she asked pointing at a picture. Hay Lin glanced at the caption below it.

"Third Place, Team VANISH; Vanessa, Anne, Natalie, Irene, Sam, and Heather, 2006," read Hay Lin.

"I told you we won third last year," said Sam.

"You didn't tell us you get your picture taken!" smiled Cornelia, she then added, "why is your hair orange?"

"The hair dye box said traffic cone orange, I just had to try it," laughed Sam. The girls left the hall of fame and sat down and ate their lunch.

"Where do we go now?" asked Taranee. Will unfurled their cabin's schedule and read it to them.

"We have orienteering and then horseback riding. After that we have free period for an hour, dinner, then hiking, and last scary stories with marshmallows." The girls walked over to the compass course, where they meet another group of girls to practice their compass work. The head councilor taught them how to use their compasses as though they were all in first grade.

"COMPASS," she continued after telling them that the instruments in their hands were _always_ correct, "Correct, your position and face north. Observe, the location in front of you. Map, out the location in which you intend to travel. Position, the degree of your destination at the red arrow of the compass. Always, turn your head first. Shift, your body in the new direction to walk the correct amount of steps. Stop, when you reach the correct number and start over."

The girls all attempted to navigate the course, but none with as much luck as Taranee. Cornelia lost patience with her compass and followed Will, who even after asking for help from the lady, could not get the red needle to stop spinning in circles and face north. Sam was showing Hay Lin and Irma how to spin the dial the correct way and count off the desired number of footsteps. After the end of the lesson Taranee was the only one who had figured out how to use her compass correctly and complete the beginner's course. The girls from the other cabin had grasped the concept, but kept running over to the lady to ask if they had done it correctly.

The head councilor dismissed them after the lesson was complete and collected back all the compasses. Sam walked them over to the barn where they stood in the center of the arena, again with another cabin of six girls.

"Hello girls," smiled another councilor, "I'll be your riding instructor for the next two weeks, my name is Robin. You'll be happy to know that I have none of those stupid acronyms for this lesson, the camp couldn't pay me enough to make one." The girls smiled and waited as Robin pulled her golden hair into a pony-tail and assigned them all horses. She gave all the girls in the other cabin their horses and told them to go wait at each of the horses' stalls.

"Will," said Robin, "um you can have Thunder." Will smiled at the other girls and disappeared into the barn.

"Irma, you said you had some experience?" asked Robin, Irma nodded, "You can have Jupiter." "Taranee, America should be good for you. Cornelia, try Phoenix. Hay Lin, you can ride Flash. Sam, do you want the same horse as last year?" Sam nodded and Robin marked down the horse's name, "alright, Twilight is yours for the session." The five girls waited at their horse's stalls for Robin to tell them what to do next. They discovered that all the horses were already saddled and just needed to be led out. Robin instructed them how to lead their horses into the arena and followed them in to help them get on.

The lesson was fairly easy, all the girls learned to steer and stop their horses as they walked around the arena. Dust clouds billowed up from the horse's hooves and blew away with the gentle breeze. Towards the end of the lesson all the girls could successfully navigate a zigzagging pattern between six cones laid out on the ground. As the girls dismounted, Sam asked Robin if she could canter around the arena. Robin gave her permission and Sam and Twilight took off, easily cantering around the arena. Irma suddenly remounted and kicked Jupiter into a lope as well. The two girls cantered around the group for three laps until Robin called them in. The councilor dismissed them, and walked the horses back into the barn.

"Wow, that was fun," breathed Irma as she jumped onto her bed.

"But now we can just relax," smiled Cornelia closing her eyes and laying on her bed.

"At least it's not too hot, last year it was in the high eighties all week, I bet it hasn't even hit eighty degrees out there now," Sam said. Will laid down on her bed and watched Hay Lin take out her sketch pad and pencils. Suddenly Mel sat down on Will's stomach and purred happily, nudging her neck.

"Get off," Will commanded, shoving the cat off her body and onto the bed next to her. Mel curled up into a ball, leaning against Will, and closed her eyes. The girls spent their free period relaxing in the cabin, coming out to eat dinner with the rest of the camp and then to go on the hike as dusk approached.

As shadows consumed the world and owls hooted their wake ups to the neighboring creatures, the entire camp settled down for scary stories and marshmallows. Four cabins were assigned to each large campfire and sat on their own logs surrounding it. Cabin WITCHS was at the second camp fire with three other cabins, who they learned their names were, ATMEGS, SKTRSZ, and VICTRY, the cabin the girls had archery with. They introduced themselves to the other cabins and learned who was in them as well. They were eager to know what _victry_ stood for. They all knew Irene and Vanessa, and Will knew Taylor from swimming in the lake, but they all met Chelsea, Rebecca, and Yasmin for the first time.

"Pass the marshmallows," called Sam holding an empty skewer. Irma tossed the bag over after grabbing a few for herself. The girls listened to scary stories for the next two hours, the best ones were told by one girl from the SCTRSZ cabins, Zoey. She knew all the best stories which guaranteed anyone to be scared to death. Saying their goodbyes to their campfire groups, the girls soon departed to their cabins to get some sleep.

The next two weeks went by more quickly than any of the girls could have hoped for when they had first stepped foot inside the camp. Each of the girls in every cabin seemed to have one or two things in which they excelled at at camp. Cornelia amazed everyone, when after the first week, she had hit the furthest bulls-eye, but towards the end of the lesson so had Vanessa. Will was swimming faster with each moment she spent in the water, giving Taylor a run for her money each time they unofficially raced. Taranee had completed each of the camp's five compass courses three times and had resorted to helping Will find a compass which didn't spin uncontrollably. Irma's previous experience with horses paid off as Robin cleared her to start jumping after a few days of lessons. During free periods, the girls found themselves accompanying Hay Lin to the sailboat with their cabin name to sail in the lake, something Hay Lin found enjoyable, even on days when there was no wind.

On the second to last day of camp, all the campers entered the mess hall for lunch earlier than usual. The girls who had been to the camp before couldn't sit still as they waited with their tables for the big announcement. The head councilor stepped up in front of the tables and started to speak.

"Good afternoon girls, I am pleased to say that today we will start the competition between the cabins." The girls cheered with excitement. Will smiled with the others and noticed Sam, staring trancelike, out the window. Will saw nothing in the direction and went on the listening to the lady speak.

"One girl will sign up under their cabin name for each activity in the race. We have compass work, swimming, sailing, archery, riding, and the engineer, to sign up for. Decide in your groups who will be the one for each task and then come and write your names on each sheet of paper." Will turned to the other girls who were all staring out the window, but snapped out of it as Will spoke.

"So I think I should swim, since I'm the fastest,"

"No you aren't," snapped Sam, "I am. I'm going to swim!"

"Well then I'll be the archer," smiled Cornelia, "I am the best."

"You? The best? You never were modest," said Irma.

"Well I'm the best one at sailing," added Hay Lin, she looked around to see if anyone had a problem with her statement.

"You don't even know what all the parts of the boat are for," Sam replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So? You can't even steer right," added Hay Lin. Will and Taranee watched in horror as their cabin broke into bitter fights.

"Stop!" shouted Taranee, stepping in between Cornelia and Irma before one of them walked away with a black eye.

"Why? She always thinks she's the best at everything!" cried Irma. Looking at the chaos ensuing around her Will, was surprised that no one had noticed their arguments.

"Everyone, Stop!" Will screamed at the table. They halted and looked at her. "I have no idea what has gotten into you guys, but it needs to stop. Cornelia, you'll be the archer. Irma, you're the one horseback riding. Hay Lin will be the sailboat captain. Taranee will do the compass work. I'm swimming, and Sam, you're the engineer person."

"Oh, so miss leader thinks-" Cornelia was cut off.

"Stop it. Cornelia, we've already gone over this topic," Will scowled, Cornelia looked taken aback and frowned to herself.

"You're right Will," Irma nodded, her brown hair flew in her face as she shook her head for a moment.

"Ok, then, let's go," Will announced as she led the group to the papers. They all wrote down what they were doing and went back to the cabin. Just as they entered Irma cracked a joke and they entered the cabin laughing. Even sulking Sam smiled as she got ready. Mel sat on Sam's bed and watched the six girl come in. At their laughter she closed her brown ears and hissed, her mouth forming a small frown as she dodged Sam's attempts to pet her, and scurried up into the rafters above.

"I think we have a chance at winning!" smiled Taranee, pushing her glasses higher onto her nose. Watching Mel disappear, Sam spoke again, her happy attitude towards the competition returning.

"I think we'll have to worry about Vanessa's cabin, VICTRY, the most. They seem as well prepared as we are."

"We can beat them," smiled Irma, "let's go, I think I hear something over the announcement." The girls rushed out of the cabin and assembled with everyone else at the lakefront.

"Is everyone here?" asked the lady, "yes good. Would all the riders please follow Robin here, you need to get ready." Irma left the girls and followed Robin and the other girls away from the starting point. "Ok, now I need all the archers to come up and go with Mrs. … um… V." Cornelia left with the others and followed their archery instructor off towards the lake. "And lastly, I need all the girls who are working compasses to come with me!" Taranee left Sam, Will, and Hay Lin and followed the head councilor to the compass course.

"OK girls, here are your compasses, and here are your instructions. You must find your rider first and then find her horse. You must use your first instruction to find the next hint. We will start in ten minutes," said the sugary voiced lady. The twelve girls read their first piece of paper and set their compasses in the right direction. After standing in the sun for ten minutes, they were allowed to start.

Walking thirty steps directly south, Taranee found an orange note stapled to a tree. She followed the note, which led to another, and another, and another. Finally, she found Irma sitting about halfway up a pine tree, holding another note.

"Good job, walk one hundred feet heading from one hundred and thirty four degrees," read Irma. Taranee set her compass and they walked one hundred feet, Irma looked around and saw nothing but an empty field.

"Did we go the wrong direction?" asked Irma.

"No, look!" Taranee pointed at the ground. An orange piece of paper was buried with grass and a rock to keep it from blowing away.

"Your horse is waiting at only half of your third destination's travel and a third of your second trip's degree," read Irma unfolding the note, "what?" Taranee dug through her pile of orange paper and found the one she was looking for.

"Sixty feet at thirty three degrees west," said Taranee. The girls ran into the forest and found Jupiter tied to a spruce tree, saddled and ready.

"What happened to his mane?" asked Taranee. Jupiter threw his head up as Irma mounted from the ground, sending his green streaked mane fluttering in the air.

"Robin said all the horses have streaks in their manes to tell them apart once we've put them in the paddock for the night," replied Irma, "good luck!" Horse and rider galloped away leaving Taranee alone to find the camp site where Sam and Hay Lin waited.

Jupiter lengthened his stride as they burst free of the trees and found the trail which led to camp Clearwater. Irma gave him more rein and jumped over a fallen log. She heard hoof beats behind her and hoped she hadn't. Checking over her shoulder she saw a chestnut horse leap the log and try to catch them. Kicking her black horse onward, Irma wondered how long it would take to reach the boy's camp. Robin had told them that the boys had been given the sails to their boats, each one had their cabin name on it, and hidden them. The girls would have to get the boys to tell them where the sails were and then ride back to the camp site with them.

The chestnut horse had slowed its pace and Irma no longer heard it behind her. Sighing, she was glad that Yasmin was not as good of a rider as she was, letting Jupiter slow his pace down to a rolling lope.

After riding down the two mile trail she slowed her black mount to a walk and walked under the sign welcoming people into camp Clearwater. Dismounting, Irma walked her horse towards the cabins, until she heard a voice call out to her.

"Hey guys, they're here!"

"Oh goodness," breathed Irma as she watched a cabin of guys about her age, maybe older, walk over to her.

"Which one are you?" sneered the tallest boy.

"Cabin WITCHS," Irma smiled. If they didn't give it to her, she knew a way to make them.

"Oh, she's a witch," laughed another boy. Irma let them joke.

"So, where's the sail?" she asked, staring at the tallest one.

"She means business, you'd better give it to her, before she casts a spell on you," joked another of the boys.

"Let her try," laughed the tallest. Irma took it as a hint and clenched her fists tight, locking eyes with the boy. _Give me my sail, give me my sail, give me my sail, give me my sail!_ She smiled. The boy looked dumbstruck.

"Let's just give her the sail," he finally said, frowning and turning away from her. The others were surprised, but went after their leader and retrieved the sail from their cabin. Irma smiled, folded the sail into one the saddle bags, remounted, and cantered off. She was filled with joy as she loped down the trail with the sail in her bag. She past Yasmin and gave her a fake salute as she entered the camp. Following the trail, Irma knew it would get dark just as she made it to the end of the path. Cantering down the trail she past the ten other riders, five of them in line, afraid to pass each other. Laughing as she rode, Irma felt the sun start to disappear on her back and walked into the camp where the others were.

"Irma over here!" called Hay Lin. Irma unbridled her horse, tied him to the fence, wrote her time on the list with her name and handed the sail over to the other girls.

"What time was it?" asked Sam.

"About eight, how long until we can start again?" asked Irma.

"We can leave at, five thirty, they made the time longer, last session one of the girls passed out because she didn't get enough sleep apparently," said Sam, "do you have a lead rope or something I could tie this with?" Irma walked back over to her horse and dug through the saddle bags. She found two lead ropes and brought them back to Sam. She clicked them together and tied each end around tree. Throwing the sail over the rope, Hay Lin stretched the fabric out and placed rocks over each corner.

"Ta-Da!" smiled Sam, "one tent big enough for four. Taranee's getting food from the director other there." When Taranee returned they made a small fire, with the fire guardian's help when Sam wasn't looking, and roasted the foil wrapped food. They went to sleep and Sam promised she would wake everyone up half an hour before five the next morning.

Will waited at the water's edge with the other twelve girls the next morning at seven thirty. Taylor was bragging to the other girls how she had won some state swimming championship the year before and was expecting to win this race easily. Will tuned her out and heard horses in the woods. She stood up and smiled as Irma and Jupiter burst through the woods. Irma handed Will the sail, offered her good luck, and galloped off, just as the next two horses entered. Will hurried to tie the rolled up sail to her waist and jumped into the water.

She swam out to the marker and turned left towards the dock. After a few minutes of swimming Will saw someone approach her and pass her on her right. Pausing her swimming, Will saw Taylor swim right past, the sail not even budging off her waist. Will fixed her sail and continued on, trying to catch the other girl. Soon she saw it was not possible, her sail keep becoming untied and slipping. After it almost sunk to the bottom, Will muttered a quick, "Quintessence," to the sail and watched as it wrapped itself around her waist and stuck there. When she reached the dock, she pulled the sail off and handed it to Sam and Hay Lin at the boat.

"What took you so long? Vanessa's group already left like five minutes ago!" Sam said as she reached up and attached the sail to the top of the boat.

"Sorry, the sail kept falling off, I had to fix it," smiled Will, suddenly feeling like a cheater.

"Taylor didn't seem to have that problem; they almost ripped the sail getting it off her," said Hay Lin, adjusting the sail to the left so it would catch more wind. "Ready?"

"Ready!" called Taranee and Irma as they jumped into the boat. Sam untied the mooring and the sail filled with wind pushing it out to the island in the lake.

"How do we find Cornelia?" asked Will.

"She's on the island, she'll shot out an arrow whenever she sees a boat come by, if we see her arrows, they're teal if I recalled right, then we go to shore and get her," responded Sam.

"Will, last night after we made camp, Yasmin, the rider from the Victry team, came back in tears," laughed Irma, "the six boys who had her sail wouldn't give it to her until she kissed each and every one of them; I heard her telling the other girls."

"How'd you escape that fate?" asked Will.

"I'd rather not discuss," Irma smiled, Will easily guessed how she had done it. The girls approached the island and saw another boat circling it. When they got close enough an arrow soared over them and floated in the water.

"That was a red arrow," said Taranee, picking the arrow out of the water and setting it aside.

"The other boat says SNKRSM; I wonder what that means," squinted Sam, "look another arrow!" The arrow flew from the beach and embedded itself into the side of the boat, Will reached over and removed it.

"It's Cornelia, only she would aim right at the boat," laughed Irma. Hay Lin aimed the boat towards the shore, just as the other boat did the same.

"Cornelia hurry," called Hay Lin. Cornelia jumped into the boat with her bow and two left over arrows, each coated in what looked like oil.

"We have to find the fake boat, so I can set it on fire," said Cornelia. Hay Lin nodded and Sam directed them to where they had been last year, in-between the dock and the island. A perimeter of flouting markers in the water kept the boat from getting too close. The boat they had seen before was already shooting flaming arrows at their fake boat.

Cornelia lit one of her arrows on fire and shot it at the boat with their number on it. The arrow hit its mark but failed to light the whole thing on fire. Cornelia lit her last arrow on fire and looked pleadingly to Taranee. The guardian of fire closed her eyes as the arrow flew towards the boat. As if the oil suddenly combusted, the whole arrow was aflame and set fire to the fake craft in the water. The girls on the boat cheered and raced away, just yards behind the other boat.

"Faster! Faster!" cheered Sam as the finish line neared. They crossed it just inches behind the boat, but were still excited as they leaped out of the boat.

"Great job girls, you have received third place!" smiled the head councilor.

"Third, we got second!" cried Irma, pointing at the other boat.

"Who beat us?" asked Hay Lin.

"Those girls arrived almost ten minutes ago," smiled the councilor pointing at the girls from the cabin VICTRY.

"What!" exclaimed Sam, her wild purple hair flung everywhere as she whipped her head around.

"Yes," please wait for the others to finish here," ordered the councilor as she walked away. They waited in the shadow of a tree for an hour while the other cabins finished. Just as the parents started to arrive, the lady addressed the campers.

"Would the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth place cabins please come up to the platform. The girl with the first letter of each cabin name, please stand on the correct step of the platform," the lady continued. Will watched Vanessa climb up to the top of the stand while she stood at the one labeled third. Just as the lady was about to speak, Robin raced over to her and whispered something into her ear.

"WHAT!" screamed the councilor, "there will be no cheating in this camp!" Robin backed off and Will looked down to her friends, they all looked surprised but they didn't seem guilty, as she was feeling.

"Team VICTRY, is removed for cheating," shouted the lady, all the sugar in her voice had dissolved.

"We didn't cheat!" shouted Vanessa, refusing to leave the top podium.

"Yes you did, you left your camp half an hour earlier then you were supposed to, that is cheating my dear, please move aside," ordered the lady again.

"We didn't cheat, someone framed us!" hollered Vanessa, the color in her cheeks rising.

"Oh come off it Vanessa," frowned Taylor, "Like it wasn't your idea to practically _glue_ the sail onto me."

"Disqualified!" the lady frowned. She pushed Vanessa from the top and every other team moved up one rank.

After the ceremony the six girls skipped back to their cabin, fingering their new silver medals. They grabbed their stuff and laughed at how stupid they had been to fight before. Sam gave all the girls her phone number and left with her father after they said their goodbyes. Will packed her bag and called Mel down from the rafters. The chocolate cat dropped a sparrow at Cornelia's feet and leaped onto Will's shoulder, watching the blond girl scream in surprise.

The girls headed to where Mrs. Lair was picking them up, Taranee's mother was to busy to come and get them. Mel balancing on Will's shoulder as they walked drew all the attention as they left and made their way to the car. They packed their cases in the car and watched the camp disappear as they drove onto the highway.

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Episode 5 done! Up next is **Episode 6 (A Not-So-Simple Inspiration)** Hope you liked traveling to summer camp with the girls. Can you guess what character I based Sam off of? It's pretty obvious really, she's in a very popular book. 


	6. A Not So Simple Inspiration

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** Another episode where they do not transform… One could say these are filler episodes with meaning, which would then not make them filler, but still in some way they could be. Whatever….

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**Episode 6 (A Not-So-Simple Inspiration)**

"Mel!" called Mrs. Vandom. She peered under the couch in the living room, looking into the dusty darkness. "Melissa!" Getting to her feet and surveying the kitchen, the sounds of a key being pressed into the lock on the door was heard. Will stepped through the door a second later and saw her mother.

"What are you doing?" asked Will, dropping her bag on the nearest chair.

"Will, have you seen Mel?" asked Susan.

"Nope," shrugged Will, her noninterest in the matter apparent as she pulled out her school books from her bag.

"I know she was here this morning," reasoned Will's mother. Will shrugged, said nothing, and reached for an apple from the new, wicker basket on the counter. Her mother pleaded, "Please help me look for her, Will." Sighing, Will joined her mother in what was a fruitless search.

They searched the entire house looking for the chocolate, furred tiger cat, until the doorbell rang and interrupted them. Will looked up as her mother invited the visitors inside. She saw Cornelia, Matt, and Irma standing inside the doorway.

"The movie!" exclaimed Will, her eyes wide. She dashed to her room and threw on something nicer, then returned to her friends and waved to her mother.

"Will?" frowned Mrs. Vandom.

"I told you about this on the first day of school Mom! That was only four days ago, you said I could go!" Will shouted. The others inched out the door, slowly pretending they were never there.

"I did," sighed Mrs. Vandom, "just call me when the movie's over." Will smiled, muttered a quick thanks, and walked out the door with her friends. They walked outside into the gathering twilight, stopping to retrieve Hay Lin and Taranee from their respective houses. Matt and Will walked hand in hand down the sidewalk and up to the ticket counter with the other girls.

"Your movie starts in twenty minutes, take a left and it's at theater twelve," pointed the attendant, checking their printed tickets. The girls nodded and headed off towards the snack stand. They each bought something to munch on while they waited through the commercials. Finding seats in the theater, Will gazed up at the screen and reached over grabbing some popcorn from the bucket Matt had bought. The girls waited through the previews and cheered when they saw a picture of their favorite rock-star, VMJ, come up on screen with the title of the movie.

The girls laughed and cheered with the rest of the audience as the actors raced around London escaping from evil spies, and trying to find the gold guitar and other musically themed objects they were looking for. Matt leaned over, on more than one occasion, and whispered to Will that real musicians never got into that sort of danger. Will smiled at him each time and watched a pair of ninjas jump on screen and fight the good guys with drumsticks.

"The quality of movies is slowly decreasing," frowned Taranee as they walked out of the theater.

"But did you see the ninjas! They were so..." Irma smiled, looking for the right words. Seeing she couldn't find them, she settled for twirling invisible drumsticks in the air at them all.

"Stick to the water Irma," frowned Cornelia.

"If you didn't want to see this one, we always could have seen Flying Ponies and Enchanted Rainbows 7," joked Matt. The girls laughed and walked down the street under the lamplights heading towards the Silver Dragon. Will and Matt stayed to the back, walking slightly slower.

"I wish Caleb were here," moaned Cornelia after she said good night to Hay Lin.

"Here we go again," Irma sighed, "but I don't have to listen to it, bye!" Irma crossed the dark street and disappeared through her door.

"See you Monday," Will said to Taranee and Cornelia. The girls nodded and turned to the left as Will and Matt walked on.

"Why did we go to that movie?" laughed Matt, "it was pointless, Irma paid for all of us to see _that_?"

"No, Martin gave Irma seven of his ten free tickets to see it, he said Vance gave them to him when he met him after the concert, they weren't even done shooting the movie yet," explained Will. They started to cut across the park and walked down the path.

"Oh," shrugged Matt. Will stopped dead where she stood. "Will?"

"Do you hear that?" asked Will. She looked up at all the trees in the park. Matt closed his eyes and listened; when he opened them again he saw Will race over to tree and peer up into its branches.

"What is it?" asked Matt, following Will to the tree. A whine and a hiss carried down to them on the wind. Matt peered up and saw a silhouette in the tree, far towards the top. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Will reach up and grab the lowest branch. She swung herself onto the limb and reached up higher.

"Will! What are you doing!" he asked, watching the branches start to bend with her weight as she rose higher.

"Matt, it's Mel!" cried Will. She climbed another branch and was level with the tiger striped cat. She could feel the small tree limb under her begin to give and bend as she reached over to grab the cat. The golden eyes burned into her, she felt the cat's gaze linger on her neck as she was picked up in her left arm. Will felt Mel shivering violently in her arms as she climbed down the tree.

"What wrong with her?" Will asked, handing the cat to Matt once she was back on the ground.

"She looks like she's having a seizure, but I can't be sure," Matt responded, "hurry, my grandfather might still be at the shop, it's only nine thirty." Will ran after Matt, following him to the pet shop his grandfather owned. Mel was hissing and meowing in Matt's arms when he saw the shop come into view. Pulling open the door, Will almost crashed into Mr. Olsen as he was coming out.

"Hello Will, I was just closing up," smiled the old man, "Matt, what's that in your arms?"

"This is Will's cat, we found her in the park," said Matt.

"Matt thinks she might be having seizures," explained Will. Mr. Olsen's smile flew south. He took the cat in his arms; Mel shook once or twice before she tried to get back to Will.

"I'll just take her inside and take a quick look at her before I leave," he smiled, "I'll call you to come back and get her." He turned and walked inside the shop, the bell on the door chimed, and Matt walked Will away.

"Don't worry, she'll be ok," comforted Matt. Will smiled.

"I'm not too worried," she added. Immediately she regretted her words, she had always felt that way, but saying it out loud seemed different. Will walked with Matt back to her house a few blocks away. Before she stepped inside, she said goodbye and left him with a kiss. She disappeared into her living room and Matt walked back in the direction of the pet shop. He walked down the street and turned left at the first intersection he came to. Traveling down the sidewalk, he heard a pair of bickering voices. Seeing two shadows around the corner he continued walking and looked in their direction.

"Irma?" asked Matt, "didn't you go home?" Irma stopped and frowned.

"I _did_, but my parents made me walk Chris home from Tyler's," explained Irma. Matt shrugged and turned right with them as they walked towards town.

"Irma!" exclaimed Chris, "look! More blue lights!" Irma spun on her heels and looked in the direction Chris was pointing at.

"The pet shop!" she shouted. Matt raced forward and flung open the door. As he walked in, the blue light vanished and the light bulbs flashed on and off. The cage doors swung madly as though a tornado had just ripped through the room.

"Cool," smiled Chris. He ran over and picked up a lizard who was rapidly crawling away from its open terrarium.

"What happened?" asked Matt, more to himself then Irma, "I was just here with Will, we dropped off her cat."

"Her cat?" asked Irma.

"She should be in the back room," said Matt, hurrying into the room behind the counter. The nest of blankets inside the open cage on the counter was empty. The cat was gone. The lights flickered slower now, staying on more than failing to be. A dog wandered into the room between Irma's legs and started to lick Matt's hand.

"Will you help me put all the animals back?" Matt asked. He grabbed the dog and led it back to its cage. Irma held open another cage's door, but it swung closed catching her finger between the two metal pieces. As they filled the cages and Irma got Chris to replace the snakes, a thought came to her.

"Matt!" whispered Irma, nodding her head towards the counter. Matt followed her. "This is exactly what happened when we went to Meridian a few months ago. All the animals had gotten free and we had to catch them!"

"So, that was Meridian, this is Earth," Matt said.

"But the same things happened! The cages opened and closed and all the animals got free," Irma explained, then she added, "I don't think this cat is a regular cat."

"But Will thinks she is," Matt whispered.

"Mel's disappearance and the animals getting loose just can't be a coincidence," Irma stated.

"Irma!" called Chris, "Hey Irma can I get a lizard, they're so cool!"

"No!" Irma exclaimed, she grabbed his hand and waved goodbye to Matt. Sighing, Matt closed the glass display case with the iguana Chris had been playing with.

**--- ---**

"Are you sure you didn't dream it all up?" asked Cornelia. The five girls stood outside in the front courtyard of the school, waiting for the bus to take their two entire grades to the Art Museum. Hay Lin had been bouncing off the walls in excitement all morning, waiting for the announcement to meet outside for the bus.

"I'm positive; ask Matt, he was there too!" Irma pleaded.

"And you think Mel, my mother's favorite animal in the world, did it?" asked Will.

"Well, I don't know if she _did_ it but she disappeared into the fold that formed," Irma explained.

"But cats can't make folds," said Taranee, "only the hearts can make folds."

"Maybe she's-"

"Don't say it Irma, there is no way that cat is a heart," frowned Will, "besides folds don't just appear, they're different then portals." The four buses pulled up to the front gates and the girls piled on. Will and Irma sat in one seat across from Hay Lin and Taranee. Cornelia sat down in the seat behind them as the bus moved forward and transported their classes to the museum.

"Attention students!" called Mrs. Nickerbocker. The crowd fell almost silent and she continued. "We will meet back at the buses at two o'clock. No one is to be late, being late gets you a week's worth of detentions. You all have tickets to see the 12:30 art show in the presentation room on the first floor, please be there on time also." She walked away from the students and let them wander the art museum. The girls aimlessly walked through the pictures, Irma spotted the medieval painting they had been trapped in, and they all paused to look at it again.

Cornelia led them through a hallway of sculptures where Hay Lin spotted a man painting a picture. While the others paused to study a horse made of tree branches, Hay Lin peered over the man's shoulder and saw what he was painting.

"Wow, that's so good!" she smiled. The artist looked up at her and smiled as well.

"Thank you," he said, "I was just finishing it up." Taranee wandered over and saw the painting.

"Will, look!" she called, pointing at the painting. Will did and was surprised to see Mel staring back up at her from the painting.

"Mel," she muttered, "where did you get the inspiration to paint this cat?"

"Ah yes, I saw this cat about three days ago," said the artist, "it was just sitting on a park bench near Sheffield Institute. It had such intriguing eyes, I had to stop and capture them in my painting."

"Wow, so how did you get it to look like the light was reflecting-" Hay Lin asked the artist. He answered her numerous questions, pleased to be helping a young artist. The girls lingered, waiting for Hay Lin to be done. Cornelia looked towards the next room, and then to the Irma.

"Irma, look who's here," she said. Irma's eyes widened as the person saw her.

"Sugar Dumpling!" exclaimed Martin, striding up to Irma, "you won't believe what I just found!" He grabbed Irma's arm and dragged her into the next room. She pulled her arm free and looked at the painting her was pointing at. Her mouth dropped open. Looking at the golden label under the painting she read, "Artist- Paul Leutte, Media- Oil on canvas, Finished- July 21 2007, Title- A Couple's Mourning."

"Doesn't that figure kinda look like you," pointed Martin. Irma glanced up to the painting again and saw herself in the air. Her face was almost all turned away from her viewpoint, but she knew it was her.

"No Martin, don't be stupid, that can't be me!" said Irma, her voice was lost and her shouts turned into whispers. Cornelia, Will and Taranee walked over to her. Martin scrambled away from Irma and disappeared around a corner.

"Look," squeaked Irma, "it's us."

"At the town after the earthquake," said Will. Taranee found each one of them in the painting. They were all in their _w.i.t.c.h._ outfits and trying to contain the blazing buildings. Irma had a fountain of water spouting from her hand. In the painting it appeared that she was throwing flames at the buildings, yet she knew that it was the opposite. Hay Lin was high above the scene with her arms out, in the painting she appeared to doing nothing, but she _had_ been sending a whirlwind around the town. Will was off to the side in the painting, her mouth wide as she shouted orders to the others; the heart held in her hand was just a blob of pink.

Cornelia looked down to where she saw herself. She stood in Caleb's arm, her blond hair cascading over her face and down her body, hiding most of her clothing. Only a small sliver of her face was seen as it rested on Caleb's shoulder. The rubble of the houses and the flames of the fire looked just as they had when they had been there that night.

"How did he find us?" asked Will

"Who's the artist, are there any more pictures?" asked Taranee.

"Paul Leutte, he sounds French," responded Irma.

"Are there any other paintings?" asked Cornelia. The girls scanned the nearby paintings on the wall. Irma shoved Martin aside, and looked at a sign posted near the painting of them. _The Heatherfield Art Museum is proud to announce its newest artist will be making a guest appearance here today from 7-5. He will be working in the sculpture hallway. Feel free to ask him any questions you'd like._

"The sculpture hall, let's go. He's there!" called Irma. The girls ran from the painting and back to where Hay Lin was still asking questions.

"-brushes do you use when you paint with-" asked Hay Lin before Cornelia pushed her aside.

"Are you Paul Leutte?" she asked.

"That's my painter's name," he smiled; he didn't look or even sound in the least bit French.

"So you painted that painting in the hall over there, the… the," said Will, trying to remember the name.

"A Couple's Mourning?" smiled the artist, "yes, that painting's been my rise to fame recently. The landscape is breath taking, it's so different from around here. Did you have questions about it?"

"Yes we did," Taranee said. Hay Lin joined them next to Irma.

"How did you get there?" asked Will. The artist stood up, setting aside his paints and the almost completed painting of Mel.

"Let's go over to the painting, shall we?" he asked. The girls followed him to the painting and gathered around him in a semi-circle.

"So?" asked Will again.

"What do you mean, this is here," lied the artist.

"No it's not, where did you go to find such a scene?" asked Cornelia. The artist sighed and looked up at his own painting. His gaze lingered on the two figures at the bottom, tight in an embrace.

"You won't tell anyone if I tell you right?" he asked, his gaze resting on Cornelia. She pulled back her blond hair and nodded. "I walked out of my studio late one night, and found a glowing blue vortex floating in the space between a dumpster and my car. I poked my head it and I saw these girls flying around and trying to tame a fire this town had become victim to."

"But how did you remember it?" asked Hay Lin.

"As an artist, I trained myself to have an incredibly long and almost picture perfect memory. I watched the girls put out the fires and the couple at the bottom greave for their loss. Then I saw the girls digging through the rubble and then one of them pulled something out. I'm hoping to make a series of pictures about the scene I witnessed. I've sketched them all out too," smiled the artist.

"Why did you paint this cat then?" asked Hay Lin, "if you have other ideas."

"This one is part of it," said the artist, "when all the people left I saw a pair of golden eyes spot me from my hiding place, inside a log. This cat's eye's reminded me so much of the ones I saw, I just had to paint the creature."

"Oh, well thanks," sighed Irma. The artist smiled and the girls gathered together behind the horse sculpture.

"What are we going to do?" asked Taranee.

"As long as no one notices that we look like the girls in the picture we should be ok," said Will, "it's a good thing we get a little older when we transform, I guess that's what hides our identities somewhat."

"But the artist noticed, at least on me," said Cornelia.

"And Martin said I looked like myself in the picture," added Irma.

"But that's just Martin," smiled Hay Lin.

"It'll be ok, as long as no one makes a fuss over it, just deny all the claims," Taranee said. The girls agreed and walked to the food court. After a meal of museum pizza, Taranee and Hay Lin led the girls into the ladies room. As they opened the door, blue light flooded out.

"What!" cried Cornelia. A fold had taken up the entire room, luckily no one besides them was there to see it.

"Will, close it, quick!" exclaimed Hay Lin. Will nodded and pulled out the heart. It pulsed slowly in her hand as she held it to the fold. The fold doubled in on itself and vanished.

"I guess your brother was right, Irma," muttered Cornelia.

"My brother! What about me, you didn't believe me either!" Irma shouted. They left the restroom and Will replaced the heart around her neck.

"Shush you guys, I have no idea why folds are appearing like portals, but I think we should split up and find them so I can shut them all before someone else wanders into Meridian," Will said. The girls nodded and walked in different directions. Before long, Irma found a fold and called Will over. No one had seen it, and Will closed it up. The two girls waited for another sign that a fold had appeared and got it when Taranee called them.

She was standing in the coat room making sure no one could get by. Will barged through and held the heart out, again closing the fold before someone found it. Seconds later the three girls were running down the hallway in the modern art section. A bunch of people were gazing up at the swirling blue vortex, admiring the work some unknown artist had done. Hay Lin, Taranee, and Irma forced them away and Will closed the third fold of the day.

"Good thing this is an art museum," sighed Irma as she returned to the girls.

"Will, Cornelia's calling from the gardens, another fold," Taranee said, opening her eyes. The four girls raced outside and found Cornelia standing in front of some bushes. A small fold had appeared, barely the size of a dog, at her feet. A photographer walked by and saw the blue object. Irma leaped in front of his camera and grabbed it away. He chased her down the path and Will closed the fold. Looking to the time the girls of _witch_ hurried into the building and walked over to where the line was forming to see the art show.

"What is with all these folds!" asked Irma.

"Yeah, where are they all coming from?" asked Hay Lin, taking her place I the line.

"Maybe, somehow, someone is opening them from Meridian, and not closing them," suggested Taranee.

"But why?" asked Cornelia, "how do we stop them!"

"All we can do for now is keep closing them and make sure no one finds them," sighed Will.

"Well, I see another one, and so does half the class," pointed Irma. The girls turned and saw Mrs. Nickerbocker had just opened the door to the gallery show. Behind the double doors was a beautiful blue fold, shimmering before the entire line's eyes.

"Oh wonderful!" smiled Mrs. Nickerbocker, "Students, look at the beautiful entryway the museum has designed to enter the show!"

"It's a good thing this is an art museum," repeated Irma.

"Go distract them all, I have to close it before they all walk into Meridian!" Will ordered. Irma and Hay Lin sprang into action. Taranee followed them and called out to the line of students.

"Everyone look!" She pointed out the windows, only half the students turned their heads. Will hurried over and stepped in front of her principal.

"Miss Vandom, what are you doing?" Mrs. Nickerbocker asked.

"Um, you can't walk through it, Mrs. Nickerbocker, let me turn it off for you, so we can start," Will stuttered.

"My dear, why would _you_ need turn it off, I'll just call one of the guards over-"

"NO, I mean, that won't be necessary, if you'd just turn around, I'll be done in second," Will pled. Her principal frowned and turned her back to address the other students. They all were watching Hay Lin and Irma as the two girls put on a mime show. They were terrible, but they made the others laugh. Will pulled out the heart and held it to the fold. Nothing happened.

"Oh no, you have to work!" whispered Will. The heart pulsed once in her hand, but the fold still remained visible.

"Come on, close the fold!" ordered Will, squeezing her hand over the crystal. The heart responded and the fold doubled in on itself, disappearing from sight. Will sighed and walked over to the line, "ok, Mrs. Nickerbocker, they shut off the light show, you can enter now." The old principal smiled and led the line of students inside.

"That was close, what took you so long Will?" asked Taranee. Will held out the heart, it twirled in the air at the end of the string.

"The heart didn't work at first, like it ran out of energy or something," Will said.

"That's impossible, maybe you just did something wrong," said Cornelia.

"Girls, shouldn't you be with the rest of your class, at the show," said the voice which belonged to the artist they had met before.

"Oh yeah," said Taranee, grabbing hold of Irma and dragged her inside the doors.

"That's a nice necklace; it's almost as if I've seen-"

"Nope, you've never seen this one before, I just got it… you know, at a fair… for, um… knocking down milk bottles with a ball," stuttered Will, reciting the lie she had given to Serena. She remembered the painting of her with the pink blob in her hand, "you've never seen it, we have to go." She grabbed Cornelia who snatched Hay Lin's hand before she could mob the artist with more questions. The door slammed as they walked in and sat down.

"We need to know why all these folds are appearing," Taranee said, taking her seat in the back row.

"And why the heart didn't work at first," added Will as she tucked the crystal back under her shirt.

"Maybe my grandma would know," Hay Lin smiled.

"Or maybe we should go right to the source," Will said, "Candracar."

* * *

Episode 6 done! Up next is **Episode 7 (Windows To Meridian)** The girls transform again, yeah! Reviews make me happy! 


	7. Windows to Merdian

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** Yeah, they transform again! And use their powers! It's been what, like three episodes that they didn't? The first main plot will show itself soon, don't worry. Now, on with the story.

* * *

**Episode 7 (Windows to Meridian)**

"Guardians Unite!" Will shouted.

"Water,"

"Fire,"

"Earth,"

"Air,"

"Quintessence." The girls landed and watched as Will opened a fold to Candracar. They slipped through, waving goodbye to the back of the school, and entered the Heart of Infinity. They ran up the steps, through the doors, and into the main room of the castle in the clouds. The damage done to it almost a year before had finally been completely fixed. The great room looked as good as it did previously. The Oracle, Tibor, and Helinor were conversing calmly in the center of the room.

"Oracle!" called Will.

"Welcome guardians," smiled the Oracle. Helinor smiled in greeting and Tibor regarded them with a nod. "Why have you journeyed to Candracar?"

"There's a problem on Earth," said Cornelia.

"Folds are appearing like portals everywhere!" Hay Lin exclaimed. The Oracle nodded in understanding.

"We were just discussing the same issue," he said.

"You knew about it and didn't tell us!" shouted Irma.

"We just discovered the issue today, as did you," Helinor explained.

"Do you know what's happening?" asked Taranee.

"Yes," the Oracle answered. He paused.

"So, what's going on?" asked Cornelia.

"When we removed the veil from around Meridian, the protection was changed back to the elemental power it started as, which was transferred back to the five of you," the Oracle began, "But the forces that shield the worlds from one another were more effected then we had previously thought." The girls looked up at the Oracle trying to understand his last phrase.

"Let's say the unseen forces around Earth and Meridian are like sheets. The veil was more like a quilt; it was thicker and harder to tear holes through. Together the two forces were very strong," explained the Oracle, "But when the veil was lifted, the shields around the worlds weren't used to doing the work. So we figured that these folds are the forces being torn, just as the portals were the veil being torn."

"I'm sorry, but that makes _no_ sense," frowned Irma.

"I think it does, a little," Hay Lin said, sighing.

"Girls, think of a muscle," said Helinor, "When you work your muscles they get stronger, right?"

"Yes," the girls responded.

"And when you don't use them, they shrink and get weaker, correct?" asked Helinor.

"So?" asked Cornelia.

"That's what happened. The weaker forces surrounding the two worlds were growing weaker because the veil did all the work, so when we lifted it, the forces were not as powerful," Helinor explained.

"That makes more sense," Will said, "so how do we solve the problem?"

"The only way we have come up with is for you five to transfer some of your powers to the Heart of Candracar, and then send it up into the fields around Earth and Meridian from here," said Tibor. The girls looked to each other.

"I had another question, before we continue Oracle," said Will. He nodded for her to go on. "When I was closing the last fold, the heart didn't respond to me at first."

"And you're wondering if it will work now," smiled Helinor, "don't worry Will, the heart was just responding to all the folds it had closed. It takes more power to close folds then it did portals, and you had closed so many that it just needed a moment to regain its balance, so to say." Will sighed and smiled.

The guardians stood in a square around Will, they each held out their hands and a beam of light connected each girl to the heart for just a moment. The light stopped and Will directed the heart up to the sky of Candracar. A beam of pink light shot from the heart and into the clouds. The shield around Candracar flashed once and then returned to normal, the guardians looked to the council.

"Your powers will heal the fields surrounding the worlds, we shall call you back when they are finished," said the Oracle.

"Don't do anything too hard for a while, even though this is only a small portion of your powers you may feel slightly weakened, it is to be expected," Helinor said. Will nodded and held up the heart to create a fold to go home. The girls stepped through and landed in Hay Lin's room.

"Wow, we landed in my room. That's different," Hay Lin said. She walked over to her bed and lay down, closing her eyes.

"I was hoping for your basement," Will replied.

"We'll see you tomorrow," called Irma. The girls walked out of Hay Lin's room, heading to their own homes, to fall asleep in their own beds.

Cornelia yawned, leaned her head on her hand, and pushed her lunch tray away.

"When Helinor said don't do anything too hard, I didn't think she meant being awake," sighed Irma.

"It's not that bad," said Will. She yawned also, but covered it up as a cough.

"Why are we still tired anyway? Shouldn't our Aura Mirrors have sent us more energy so we'd recover?" asked Hay Lin, unbraiding and re-braiding one side of her hair.

"Even with them, it might take a while," said Taranee, "remember how with the veil we didn't have all our powers, part of it might have been we weren't ready, but the veil was thick and stopped some of the mirrors' power, maybe it's the same now."

"Maybe," agreed Cornelia. The bell rang, waking both Irma and Hay Lin from their naps. Hay Lin followed Taranee to their English class and sat down in their neighboring seats. Their teacher began class with a pop quiz about commas and colons. Taranee, still tired and yawning, found to her frustration she had been reading the same question for five minutes without noticing. Hay Lin scribbled down some answers, and turned her test in when their teacher called time with Taranee. They returned to their seats and their teacher announced that they would be working in partners to finish the homework assigned in their books.

"What did you put for number five on the quiz?" asked Hay Lin. Taranee laid her head on her desk and yawned again.

"I said C, what about the homework?" she responded.

"We have to work in the book, on page 256, numbers 1-21 and finish by tomorrow," Hay Lin read off the board. Taranee groaned.

"Don't teachers know we have lives outside of school?" Taranee yawned, her tiredness was making her act very un-Taranee-ish

"Taranee, do you hear that?" asked Hay Lin.

"No, I'm trying to sleep," Taranee snapped. Suddenly she jerked her head up and looked to the door, "yes… I _see_ it." Flames danced in her glasses and died as she turned to Hay Lin. They stood up and walked to the teacher's desk.

"May I go to the nurse, I think I have a fever," Taranee lied. The girls' teacher reached over to Taranee's forehead and drew back quickly.

"Yes, Miss Lin, will you please take her to the nurse?" asked the teacher. Hay Lin nodded and the two girls left the classroom.

"What did you hear?" Taranee quickly asked, her tiredness melting away.

"I heard shouts, some banging, and a fire," she responded, "what did you see?"

"A fire on a stove," answered Taranee. The girls both had the same thought and ran to the kitchen on the other side of the school.

"Why aren't the fire alarms going off if there's a fire?" asked Taranee as they ran under one.

"Maybe they're broken?" Hay Lin replied. The two girls turned the last corner and found the kitchen door.

"Ok, let's see if we're right," said Hay Lin. She pushed open the _Employees Only_ door and felt the heat immediately.

"There _is_ a fire!" exclaimed Taranee, pointing to the red flames. The two lunch ladies were forced up in a corner trying to escape from the hungry fire.

"Hay Lin, help me make a path through the fire to get them out," Taranee said. Looking up to the silent alarm, Taranee shot a ball of flame at it. Suddenly it cried out, flashing red and ringing as loud as it could. Smiling, Taranee helped Hay Lin clear a path through the flames. The two ladies finally noticed the two girls and rushed over to them through the path they had made.

"Hurry," called Hay Lin, motioning to the two cooks to follow her. As they were helped out through the door to the kitchen, they met the sprinkler system and held their hands over their heads.

"This is stupid, why doesn't it rain in the kitchen?" asked Hay Lin.

"It could spread a grease fire," muttered one of the cooks.

"How did the fire start?" asked Taranee, shutting the door to the kitchen.

"We don't know, I was frying bacon, turned around, and the next second the towel I had in the cabinet above the stove had fallen onto the pan, completely unfolded and everything. At first it started to smoke, but then it burst into flames which caught almost the whole kitchen on fire," explained the lady. Smoke started to curl out of the kitchen and cover the ceiling.

"Hurry, through those doors! The front doors are through there!" called Taranee. The smoke beat them to the doors and set off the censors, they slowly started to swing shut, ready to keep the fire at bay. The two cooks hurried through, Hay Lin behind them. Taranee dove through the doors just as they shut and landed on something round on the floor, causing her to fall. She hit the ground and saw stars in her eyes. The tiredness she had evaded before was coming back now to haunt her.

"Hay Lin, help me up," said Taranee. Hay Lin stooped down and picked up a shiny object from the floor, then helped Taranee out of the building.

Outside, the school had gathered, waiting to hear to the news of the fire. The firemen spotted Hay Lin and Taranee making their way out of the doors and helped them over to the ambulance. They let Hay Lin return to her friends, but took Taranee into the vehicle and drove off, sirens blazing.

"Hay Lin, what happened?" asked Will, running towards her. The air guardian could only stare at her friends as they gathered around her.

"So, where's Taranee?" asked Irma, watching the ambulance take a left and disappear.

"They took her to the hospital, they said something about smoke inhalation," Hay Lin replied.

"We have to go see her, to make sure she's alright!" Cornelia exclaimed.

"How will we get there?" asked Will.

"Well, I heard Mrs. Nickerbocker telling one of the teachers that we'd be allowed to go home," smiled Irma.

"Will, call my grandma, she'll be able to take us to see Taranee!" Hay Lin decided.

"Ok," Will said, taking out her phone. She pressed the numbers and waited until someone picked up, "Hi, this is Will --- oh hi, I wanted to ask you something --- could you come by and take the four of us to the hospi- --- to see Taranee --- I'll explain on the way --- thank you so much! --- bye. She said she'll be here in five minutes."

"You never did tell us why you two were in there," said Irma.

"I'll tell everyone on the way there," Hay Lin said. They waited with the other students, until they saw the Silver Dragon's delivery van. They piled in the back and told Yan Lin how to get to the hospital from the school.

"So, why is the whole school gathered in front of the building and Taranee's at the hospital?" asked Yan Lin.

"Well, we had a fire at school, grandma," replied Hay Lin.

"What!" exclaimed her grandmother.

"Taranee and I knew about it as it happened, and went off to try to help," Hay Lin explained.

"You didn't tell us?" asked Will, "we could have helped you two!"

"No, we thought it was a small fire, but we wanted to get the cooks out of the burning kitchen, so we went and used our powers to get the fire out of the way so the two cooks could escape. We got out and the fire alarms finally went off. The doctors in the ambulance said Taranee had suffered from smoke inhalation, but she fell on the way out and said she was only tired," Hay Lin continued.

"After what you told me about Candracar, you shouldn't have been using your powers at all," frowned Yan Lin, pulling the van into a parking space, "but I don't blame you, I would have done the same thing. Let's find Taranee."

The front desk told them Taranee was in room fifteen on the main floor, recovering. They pushed past a group of nurses and hurried into the room. They saw Taranee lying on a bed, frowning slightly.

"Taranee, are you ok?" asked Will.

"Yes, but none of the doctor's believe me when I tell them," she responded.

"The fire guardian suffering from smoke inhalation," scoffed Yan Lin. Hay Lin looked down to her closed fist and walked closer.

"Here, when you fell, they came out, I grabbed them for you," Hay Lin smiled. She handed Taranee two beads from her hand. Taranee looked down at them, the bead that had been in her hair all day sat to the left in her palm, another bead; a bright crimson red one, sat sparkling in the sunlight that hit her hand.

"Thanks Hay Lin, but the nurses won't let me leave till tomorrow though," sighed Taranee.

"Ok, we'll see you tomorrow then," said Cornelia. The girls left the room and walked back to the van. Taranee picked up the crimson bead from her palm and fixed it in her hair. She pocketed her other bead and rolled over in the bed to catch up on some sleep.

* * *

Episode 7 done! Up next is **Episode 8 (A "Charmed" Life)** I know this one is considerably shorter then the others. Sorry, I had to add it but it would make the previous and next episode too long if they were combined… I love getting reviews! 


	8. A Charmed Life

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** And the plot starts to show itself, well somewhat…

* * *

**Episode 8 (A "Charmed" Life)**

The October winds blew unseasonably warm against the waves on Shell Beach. Skimming the tide, the occasional daring surfer rode past in a wetsuit. The sun was clouded over this time of year, and most beach goers had stopped coming for the season. Walking down the beach Will, Irma, and Hay Lin skirted around the incoming tide. The waves hungrily gobbled up their footprints in the sand as they walked down the beach.

"Do you see any?" asked Will. She slid off her sandals and walked closer to the water's edge.

"No, all the birds and other animals are gone for the winter already," Hay Lin said.

"Then why did we come here?" asked Irma. She sat down on a rock and watched as Will and Hay Lin joined her.

"I have to do a report on the animals of Shell Beach," Will sighed, "I guess I could just use the internet."

"It's 4:20, we're going to meet Cornelia and Taranee at 4:40, we'd better go then," said Hay Lin.

"Will, are those your flip-flops?" asked Irma, she pointed to a pair of flip-flops being pulled away into the water by a large wave.

"Yes! Help me get them back!" Will exclaimed. She rushed to the water and snatched up one of them, "I can't reach the other!"

"Irma?" smiled Hay Lin.

"I'll get it Will," Irma called. She lifted her hand and the water under the sandal rose. Irma pointed to the beach and the water slid over to them, depositing the wet shoe on the sand.

"Thanks," Will said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Irma smiled and walked down the beach towards the entrance. Will slipped her soggy shoes on and followed her. Hay Lin lingered a moment longer on the sand.

"Look you guys!" she called, running to catch up. The two girls turned and saw Hay Lin clutching a small shell in her hand. The little scallop shell was perfect, no chips or broken pieces. At the flat bottom, a small perfect hole existed, almost as if the shell had been a part of something previously.

"Cool," smiled Irma. Will nodded, and walked to the sidewalk, she heard Irma ask Hay Lin if she could have it. When Irma appeared a second later, a smile had bloomed on her face. They walked into town, passing by the displays of new Halloween costumes and spooky props for parties. The wind picked up once more and disturbed a set of brass, wind chimes in the door of one of the stores. Will and Irma paid no attention to the jiggling chimes and kept walking.

"Wait, I want to go in this store," Hay Lin called. The girls stopped and walked with Hay Lin into the store with the wind chimes. The store was decorated for the upcoming holiday. Golden pumpkins which changed color with different temperatures, stood guard at the door, changing from a dull bronze to brilliant gold as the cool air from outside touched them. More wind chimes and silver bats hung from the ceiling, as well as owls that flew around in a circle if they were attached to something.

"Wow, these are pretty," cooed Hay Lin, fingering a pair of scrunches.

"Hay Lin, those are for like five-year-olds!" Irma insisted, "I have a ton of hair ties at home."

"Both these have these little strings at the ends," Hay Lin said as she checked the cardboard holder for the price. She held the two ties to the light, smiled, and walked to the cashier. She returned looking a little confused, but brightened when she showed the girls her new purchase by putting them in her hair.

"They looked a lot shorter on the rack," Will said, "but they look good on you, really." Hay Lin beamed and followed them back to the Silver Dragon. As they left the store the wind blew again, sending the sparkling strings tied around the scrunches into flight. Since they were a little longer than two feet, the four strings floated ahead of Hay Lin as she walked. Pushing open the door to the restaurant, Hay Lin smiled to her parents, and led the two girls into the basement.

"Took you long enough," said Cornelia as she greeted them.

"I just got here too, don't worry," smiled Taranee, "that extra test took longer than I thought."

"What were you doing Cornelia?" asked Will, she sat down next to her on the cot.

"Well my parents got me a car," started Cornelia.

"Really?" asked Hay Lin.

"What kind?" questioned Will.

"You're kidding right?" Irma wondered.

"No, I have a car now, lucky me," said Cornelia as she rolled her eyes.

"What! Why aren't you thrilled! I would love to have a car," Irma said, imagining herself in a mustang convertible.

"Not if the only thing you can do with it is take your little sister to places so she won't tell that you and your friends have magic!" Cornelia fumed.

"I thought you said your parents wouldn't believe her," Will said.

"She's been a little sneak for the past few months, remembering when I disappear with you guys, which hasn't been a lot lately, but she knows when I go off with all of you. With that she can tell my parents she knows where I've been disappearing to. Even if they don't believe her they'll ask me, and when I can't tell them a reasonable answer, they'll forbid me from going out. Then we can't go off and-"

"Cornelia, it's ok, take a deep breath," said Hay Lin, interrupting the girl's ranting.

"Yeah, it's ok Corny, it's only your sister, where does she make you drive anyway?" laughed Irma.

"_Every_where," Cornelia responded. Silence ensued.

"So," Taranee ventured, "when do you think we'll get that piece of our powers back?"

"How long does it take to fix the "forces of Earth" or whatever they are?" asked Cornelia, her mood lifted slightly.

"Well, it's been a few months now," reasoned Hay Lin, "maybe we'll get them back soon." The door opened and Yan Lin walked down the stairs halfway.

"Will, your mother is upstairs, she wants you," Hay Lin's grandmother called. Will sighed and left the girls, walking up the stairs to meet her mother.

"Will, there you are, I knew I could find you here," smiled Susan. Will returned the smile halfheartedly and followed her mother to her car.

"So," Will paused.

"So what?" asked her mother.

"So, why did you come to pick me up, I was just getting ready to come home anyway," Will said.

"I know, but I'm worried," Susan said as she pulled into the large driveway.

"About what?" sighed Will, leading the way inside the joined dining room and kitchen.

"The news reports have been filled with people going missing then reappearing days after they left. The reports keep getting closer to home, I just don't want to lose you," sighed Susan, collapsing on a chair.

"Don't worry mom, I'll be fine, I'm always with my friends. Nothing will happen," Will said trying to reassure her mother. She nodded at her daughter, got to her feet, and walked over to the fridge.

"Have you had any luck finding Mel?" asked Mrs. Vandom.

"No mom. No one has seen her," answered Will, darting to her room and closing her door before her mother could question her further.

**--- ---**

"Isn't it so pretty?" asked Cornelia. She held the piece of jewelry up so the whole table could see it clearly. The sunlight caught it as it spun, lighting up the golden glass which was a flower charm which hung off a silver bracelet.

"Who gave it to you?" asked Hay Lin. Her hair was tied back with her new scrunches.

"It didn't say, but I know Caleb sent it," smiled Cornelia, lost in a quick daydream, "it came yesterday afternoon, in a brown package addressed to me."

"Speaking of jewelry, look at what I did!" Irma exclaimed. She pulled the shell Hay Lin had found out from around her neck and held it out to the table, "the little hole in the top was the perfect size for embroidery floss, so I made it into a necklace." The girls agreed that it was pretty and Irma put it back on her neck.

"How's your life Cornelia, any better?" asked Taranee, spinning the red bead in her hair.

"If you mean Lillian, yeah the problem's solved, I told her if she didn't stop blackmailing me, I'd turn her into a tree," laughed Cornelia, "but last night Napoleon started up with "I have a bad feeling, something's about to change"."

"Napoleon's usually right about a lot of things though; don't you think we should believe him?" asked Will.

"Why, he's just a cat," frowned Cornelia.

"Speaking of Halloween," smiled Will.

"But we weren't," laughed Irma.

"My mom says Simultech is throwing a big party this Friday. It's a costume party, and I'm going. My mom said I could bring all of you too, since I'll be all alone if you don't come. Will you come, please?" Will begged.

"Yeah!" Irma smiled, "I love parties!"

"Sure," Taranee replied.

"As long as my sister isn't there," joked Cornelia.

"Count me in too," Hay Lin said.

"Good, you can all meet me at my house at six on Friday. And wear your costume," Will explained.

**--- ---**

"I have the perfect costume for you Will," smiled Mrs. Vandom.

"Mom, I already know what I'm wearing," Will replied, "I'm going to wear my black dress and hat."

"You went as a witch last year," her mother replied.

"No, I was a witch _two_ years ago," Will said, placing the last dried dish in the cabinet above the dishwasher.

"But I have a beautiful pink dress you can wear, and you can be a princess. You'll be tall enough to fit into it now," smiled Mrs. Vandom.

"But Mom," complained Will.

"Will, I think you'll look so nice in this dress, just put in on for me," pled her mother. Will sighed and followed her mother into her room where the pink dress was laid out on her bed. Shooing her mother out of the room, Will slipped on the dress and looked at herself in the mirror.

"It's not terrible," Will said to herself. The doorbell rang; Will rushed to let her friends inside.

"Hello, your highness," Irma joked as she walked inside. She was dressed as a mermaid, with teal pants and a long shiny green shirt which looked to be made of fine netting as her tail. Her new shell necklace hung right above her sleeveless purple shirt. Behind her Taranee walked in, dressed in a similar fashion to when she snuck out to the club with Nigel. Her hair was again dyed pink and shot upwards, and she wore her leather jacket and ripped jeans. Even the strand of hair which hung onto her red bead was dyed, though it hung down, not up.

"Your mother let you out of your house?" questioned Will, looking at her friend's appearance.

"When I told her your _mom_ was taking us to a costume party she did," laughed Taranee.

"Are the others here?" asked Will.

"Here they come," Irma answered. Cornelia and Hay Lin stepped into sight from the stairwell. Cornelia was dressed as a pixie; her hair had multiple small braids with fake leaves braided into them, her outfit resembled leaves in a short dress, and she wore the fuzzy flip-flops on her feet. Her flower bracelet hung from her left hand. Hay Lin appeared in one of her Chinese outfits, a red and yellow one, with her hair pulled back in her new scrunches.

"Ready?" asked Mrs. Vandom, appearing from her room. She was dressed like a doctor, complete with a stethoscope and name tag.

"One second," yelled Will, racing back to her room to collect her things into her bag. She grabbed her phone, slid on the silver high heeled shoes her mother had left for her, and noticed another piece to her costume on her dresser. Will picked up the silver tiara and placed it on her head. The silver matched her shoes perfectly and went a lot nicer with her red hair then the pink dress did.

"Will?" called Mrs. Vandom.

"Coming mom!" Will shouted. She hurried out of her room and tripped on her way to the door.

"Easy dear," Susan said, "I love the necklace Will. It matches the outfit so well." Will's hand quickly flew to her neck grabbing at the only thing that ever lived there, the Heart of Candracar.

"Thanks," mumbled Will, she slipped out of the room under her mother's arm and hurried to the car with her friends. Sliding into the car, Will flipped down the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her dress was low cut and the Heart of Candracar hung just above where the material began, shimmering in the light. Shrugging Will turned to her friends, squished in the back seat together.

"Excited?" she asked.

"Sure, what exactly are we going to be doing there?" asked Cornelia.

"From what my mom told me, there'll be food and cookies, a scary movie in the conference room which starts at ten, games, prizes, and contests," explained Will.

"Sounds fun," smiled Irma. Susan climbed into the car, started it, and drove them to Simultech. When they arrived, the girls piled out and headed inside with only a few words of warning from Mrs. Vandom.

"Don't break anything, don't be louder than the other people there, meet me at the front doors at 1 am when the party ends, and have fun," she instructed. The five girls hurried off into building and were immediately surrounded by werewolves, vampires, ghosts, clowns, and other assorted spooky costumes. Checking the time, Taranee notified them it was 6:19, suggesting they try their luck at some of the games.

"Let's play dunk the ghost!" called Irma, reading the sign over the dunk tank. They got in line and happily threw baseballs at the small watermelon sized target to dunk the ghost. Hay Lin threw her last ball at the target and by some miracle hit it, sending the man in the costume into the water. He pulled off his mask, sending the girls into a fit of laughter along with several of the employees in line, as they saw their boss was the ghost.

Taranee pointed to a Halloween themed memory game with large foot by foot squares which lay in a corner of the lobby. They played until all the pictures were matched, leaving Irma the winner with three sets of matching tiles. Will pulled them over to a game where you had to throw a small pumpkin and knock over a pile of larger pumpkins. The more you knocked over, the higher your score and bigger your prize. Cornelia succeeded in knocking every pumpkin to the ground on her first try, winning for herself a small stuffed ghost.

The booth next to the pumpkin toss was a carving station. Hay Lin showed them the pumpkins and they each carved their own. Since the pumpkins were pre-hallowed, all the girls had to do was to carve faces on them. Cornelia gave her pumpkin a big smile, as did Will. Taranee's pumpkin looked terrified, while Irma's looked like it was going to kill someone. Hay Lin didn't carve a face; instead she presented them with a witch riding a broomstick in front of a large moon. The girls loved it and moved on, leaving her pumpkin with the operator of the stall to pick up later and be used as an example.

Just before nine thirty, a costume contest was called to order. The girls joyfully entered. They didn't have much competition since there were only fifteen people under twenty. Irma won the Most Beautiful costume portion, while Cornelia won the Most Creative costume. Will received second in, Most Traditional Halloween costume, to a girl a little older then her who was dressed as a pumpkin. Taranee got third behind a skater and an astronaut in Modern costumes, and Hay Lin won Most Elaborate costume, with her Chinese dress and silks.

At ten, the girls went to the meeting room and watched the scary movie. Hay Lin and Taranee sat with their eyes closed the whole time, screaming when anything happened. Cornelia and Will sat at the edge of their seats, jumping in surprise when the murder cornered the victim in the forest. Irma sat back in her seat laughing at the scenes where the suspense was supposed to be killing the viewers, and she had figured out who the murderer was, the moment she saw him. They left when the movie ended at twelve, and decided to take a breath of fresh air outside in the flood light lit front garden.

"Wow, that was a funny movie," laughed Irma, sitting down on a bench.

"No, that was a scary movie," shivered Hay Lin, glancing around in the darkness.

"It was ok," Will said.

"Hey, do you see that?" pointed Cornelia. The girls followed her finger and saw a flash of blue near the building.

"Another fold," sighed Will, "I'd better go close it-"

"No wait, this one seems different," said Taranee.

"Let's just peak in and see where it leads," Irma suggested. The girls all looked through the fold and tumbled inside. They looked up and saw the Fortress of Infinity gazing back at them.

"We're in Candracar," noticed Hay Lin.

"I wonder if they know a fold appeared leading here," said Will. They walked inside the castle and found the Oracle with Tibor, Helinor, and Luba.

"Welcome guardians," smiled the Oracle, glancing at their clothing. Cornelia followed his gaze and noticed they still were wearing their costumes from the party. Will noticed too and pulled the heart from her neck.

"There's no need to change," Luba spoke, "the forces have been healed."

"So we can have our powers back now?" asked Taranee.

"Yes," smiled Helinor. Without being told how to do so, Will held the heart in her palm and raised it as high as she could. A single pink beam of light shot down from the sky towards it. As if the heart were a prism, the light entered it, and separated into four distinct colored beams, red, blue, grey, and yellow, each shooting towards its original keeper.

"So, that's it?" asked Hay Lin.

"Yes, all your power has come full circle, right back to you," smiled the Oracle. Will stepped forward.

"But the folds, the number of people disappearing through them was increasing as time went on," said Will, "I thought we were he-"

"You were, the magic started at the opposite end of the end of world, slowly working its way back to you, though it forced the folds to appeared in a smaller area each time," Helinor said, "but don't worry, none will appear now." The girls nodded to the four of them and left through the fold they entered.

On the other side, Will closed the fold, and led the others inside. The party was coming to a close; almost everyone was gone, leaving scraps of paper, candy wrappers, and drink cups everywhere.

"Will, where were you?" called Susan Vandom, walking through the doors from outside.

"Sorry mom, what time is it?" asked Will.

"1:15," replied Taranee, glancing at her watch.

"Come on girls, I'll drive you home," sighed Mrs. Vandom. The girls piled into the car and it drove off. First Cornelia, then Irma, Taranee, and lastly Hay Lin left, leaving Will and her mother alone.

They walked in the front door, Will hardly able to keep her eyes open. She walked, half asleep, to her room and collapsed onto top of her bed, soon fast asleep. The pink princess dress folded and creased under her. On top of her head the silver tiara sparkled, not with moonlight, but electricity.

* * *

Episode 8 done! Up next is **Episode 9 (A Lucky Duck)** Finally, you'll see what the plot bunnies have run off and created. You got a glimpse of it in this one, but the next one and then the next one will tell all without serious thinking... Hahahahaa! I appreciate reviews, thank you all! 


	9. A Lucky Duck

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** There is a reference from Danny Phantom in this chapter, kinda, nothing big or important, just humorous… See if you can find it.

* * *

**Episode 9 (A Lucky Duck)**

Hay Lin rushed down the Silver Dragon's stairs and into the basement. Sitting on top of the garbage can was a cardboard box filled with shredded bits of newsprint. Peeking inside it, two little black eyes looked back at her. The duckling cheeped and flipped its baby wings, walking over a pile of newspaper.

"Hay Lin!" called Taranee.

"Downstairs!" shouted Hay Lin, running her finger over the duckling's fuzzy body. The girls walked down the stairs and crowded around her.

"What did you want us for?" asked Irma.

"Look you guys, I found this duckling outside the restaurant," said Hay Lin.

"You called us for this?" Cornelia questioned, glancing at the baby duck.

"It's so cute," Will smiled. She reached into the box and picked it up. The duckling stopped cheeping and looked up at Will.

"I think it likes you," laughed Irma. Will handed the duckling to Irma and watched as she ran her fingers over its soft body.

"So, was there something you wanted to tell us Hay Lin?" asked Taranee.

"Yeah, I found this duckling," the air guardian smiled.

"This was such a waste of time," muttered Cornelia.

"Oh Corny, just hold him, he's so cute," begged Irma. Without waiting for her permission, Irma placed the fuzzy bird in Cornelia's hand. "So? Isn't he soft?"

"Sure," agreed Cornelia. The baby duck cocked it head in question and looked at Cornelia's wrist. The silver chain of her charm bracelet caught the light and sparkled, drawing the duckling's attention. "Ok, take it back now Irma." Irma sighed and reached for the duck in Cornelia's hand. It scuttled up onto her wrist and grabbed hold of the golden, glass flower charm in its beak, breaking the piece off and accidently swallowing it.

"My bracelet!" exclaimed Cornelia, pulling her hand out from under the duck. Hay Lin dove and caught the bird in the air, skidding on the ground an inch or two as she landed.

"Cornelia!" cried Hay Lin, setting the duckling back in its safe haven of newspaper, "you almost killed him!"

"He ate my bracelet! I thought it was going to bite off something else too!" Cornelia retorted.

"Cornelia, can you give me a ride back, it's starting to rain and I have to study," Taranee said. Cornelia glared at the duck and muttered a short bye to the other girls before she walked up the stairs with Taranee at her heels.

"I like the duck Hay Lin," smiled Will.

"Thanks," Hay Lin sighed.

"So I got a call from Kadma last night, asking me to come downstairs and talk to her," Cornelia explained, rolling her eyes. The lunch room was grey with the filtered light coming through the windows.

"Did you ditch her?" frowned Hay Lin.

"No, I went downstairs and she let me in," Cornelia said.

"What did she want to talk to you about?" asked Will.

"Lillian," scowled Cornelia, "Kadma told me that Lillian had come to see her and cried her heart out. She told me that when Lillian cried she forgot she's supposed to keep her mouth shut about certain _magical_ things, and ended up telling Kadma not only about our powers, which wasn't a problem, but also lies about how I was threatening to turn her into a rock if she didn't do _everything_ I told her to do."

"I remember you telling us you would turn her into a tree," smiled Irma.

"Very funny Irma," snapped Cornelia, "then she started lecturing me about being a good sister and not using your powers for bad, I'm sure she tried this same speech with Nerissa at one point. It's not like I would _actually_ turn her into a tree!" The table next to theirs turned and watched Cornelia suspiciously for a moment.

"Well you're still alive, so it couldn't have been that bad," Taranee responded. Cornelia shrugged and ate the last strawberry in her lunch.

" I'm so worried," Hay Lin said.

"Why?" asked Will.

"I left the duck in the basement of the restaurant, and I'm worried my parents will find it and cook it," Hay Lin explained, "what if I come back from school and I see someone eating duckling or something!"

"Do they even serve duckling at the Silver Dragon?" asked Taranee.

"I don't know, but they might have a special if they find him!" Hay Lin sobbed.

"That duck ate the charm off my bracelet, if he does get eaten-" Cornelia stated.

"Cornelia!" exclaimed Irma, patting Hay Lin on the back in support. Cornelia leaned back in her chair and turned away.

Two periods later, the girls meet for gym class after changing. The rain outside kept their class indoors, playing floor hockey for the next hour. They reentered the locker room behind the rest of the girls in their class.

"I hate floor hockey," Hay Lin said as she sat down at bench in front of her gym locker.

"Why?" asked Irma, opening her locker and pulling out her sandals.

"This school desperately needs a new locker room," Taranee complained, cutting Hay Lin off.

"Or at least a descent air-freshener," joked Irma.

"Does it smell like marshmallows and wet dog fur to you guys too?" asked Will.

"We go through this every day," sighed Cornelia, "but no, it smells more like dirty socks and bubble gum."

"Oh no!" cried Hay Lin.

"What happened?" asked Will.

"My new scrunches, they're gone," explained Hay Lin, digging through her things.

"They have to be here, you locked your locker right?" asked Taranee.

"Is anyone else missing anything?" asked Will, checking her own things.

"No," Cornelia replied.

"I have everything," Taranee said.

"Wait, my necklace, the one I made with the shell, it's gone too!" Irma responded.

"Well you better find it quick, the bell rings in a minute. I'll be outside, I hate the smell in here," said Cornelia, wrinkling her nose and walking out the door.

"Maybe I left it somewhere else," Irma mused, walking out the locker room with the other girls.

"You're all coming over tonight for that sleepover right?" asked Will, pausing to check all the girl's reactions. They all smiled and nodded. Will smiled and moved out with the rest of the crowd in the gym as the bell released them for the last period of the day.

The rain continued to pour throughout the day. It let up after school ended but returned in full force ten minutes later, just as most of the students reached their homes. The news was putting out flood warnings and watches in their area, something that the meteorologists said hasn't happened for decades. Will walked in the front door, soaked from head to toe and found her mother watching the weather in the living room on the TV.

"Will, you're soaked! Did you get caught in the downpour?" asked Susan Vandom, leaving the couch and helping her daughter take off her dripping jacket.

"It's ok, I'm just going to take a shower before dinner," Will replied. She left her coat and backpack hanging on a chair and made her way down the hall into the bathroom. An hour after she had showered, changed, and eaten, Will answered the door and found Irma and Hay Lin. The two girls looked as dry as if they had been standing in the desert, not walking five or six blocks in a rain storm.

"Will!" called Mrs. Vandom.

"Yeah Mom," Will responded.

"I'll be back in an hour or two, you girls will be alright?" she asked, she seemed hesitant about leaving the girls home alone.

"We'll be fine Mrs. Vandom," smiled Irma.

"Ok, I'll be back. Be good Will," she said as she shut the door and walked to her car.

"Where are Cornelia and Taranee?" asked Hay Lin, making herself comfortable on the couch.

"They're not here yet, do you want hot chocolate?" asked Will, pulling out the prepackaged pouches and mugs from the cabinets.

"Sure," Irma answered. She walked over and helped Will fill the mugs with milk and coco power, set them in the microwave, and stirred the power into the liquid. The three girls sat on the couch and the nearby reclining chair, sipping their drinks. They waited for half an hour, flipping through the channels, waiting for Cornelia and Taranee to arrive. They as the news flipped on again, foretelling of flood watches in the area and for everyone to stay on high ground.

"Can you believe that my mom wouldn't let me drive in the rain?" Cornelia complained. She squeezed out her hair, setting her bag on the table. Hay Lin giggled and twirled her wrist in the air, sending a drying breeze over to the two girls. They were immediately dried off, but Cornelia continued her complaints.

"I can't believe we had to walk _all_ the way here, in the rain!" Hay Lin rolled her eyes and sipped the last bit of her coco from her mug.

"So," Taranee muttered, trying to steer the conversation away from Cornelia's issues with life.

"Can you believe that just because it's raining I had to walk? That should have meant I got to drive, what's my mom thinking?" Cornelia fumed. Will pressed her hand to her forehead, trying not to say a word.

"My grandma says that as long as my duckling stays in the basement, my parents wouldn't find him so they can't cook him," Hay Lin told Irma.

"I hope they do go in the basement, you're stupid duck ate my charm that Caleb got me and-" Cornelia hissed.

"Cornelia!" Will exclaimed, she stood up in one fluid motion and rounded on the earth guardian, "can you ever talk about anything other than yourself!" Cornelia cocked an eyebrow and looked at Will.

"Recently, all I ever hear you talking about is your own problems! None of us even have a car! Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin all had to walk too, it's not just you!" explained Will harshly.

"Well, look who's talking!" Cornelia said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What!?" Will shouted.

"You complain about your life all the time!" Cornelia countered. Irma glanced outside; a massive thunderhead was approaching from the west.

"Like when?!" asked Will, half shouting. Taranee pulled back the drapes to Will's kitchen window and saw pellet sized hail pelting the glass.

"When you got the heart and were the leader, you complained about that!" Cornelia explained, her voice held tones of slight malice. Hay Lin watched the two girls as if they were a tennis match, watching them bicker back and forth.

"That was so long ago!" screamed Will, "I don't complain nearly as much as you!" A lightning bolt streaked out of the sky and hit the telephone poll across the street. Taranee jumped back from the window, but Will and Cornelia didn't seem fazed. Irma watched the thundercloud close in on the town and turned to the others.

"Girls?" she asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"And what about-"

"Not nearly-"

"You-"

A massive lightning bolt flew down towards the ground. An explosion silenced the girls, leaving them in total blackness. A ball of fire quickly came into existence, floating above Taranee's outstretched palm.

"Is everyone ok?" she asked, glancing at each girl's face in turn.

"The lightning took out the power," Irma responded, flipping the lights on and off, yet nothing changed.

"Will, let's go into your room, in case your mom comes home," Hay Lin said quickly. Will nodded and saw another flash in the sky; the room was lit up, then darkness flooded in again. When the door to Will's room was shut, the curtains were thrown open to let in the little light from outside, and all the girls were comfy, Hay Lin spook up.

"This is what my grandma and the Oracle meant about harmony!" she began.

"But-" Cornelia spoke.

"Shh," hushed Irma.

"When we don't act as one, and fight, our powers can get out of control. I've noticed that when you two fight, thunderstorms form, I really don't know why," Hay Lin said.

"Earth has as much of an impact on weather as energy does," Taranee explained.

"Right, and when Irma is out of harmony, it rains," Hay Lin continued.

"Or pipes burst," mumbled Irma.

"And if I'm out of harmony then, I guess, we could have a really windy day. Same with Taranee, except it might get really hot, or things could catch on fire," Hay Lin finished. The girls were silent. Another lightning flashed outside followed by thunder, just like a shadow following its maker.

"You're right Hay Lin, we shouldn't fight," Will sighed, she then added calmly, "it's just I'm sick of listening to you complain Cornelia."

"Here we go again," Irma rolled her eyes, leaning back on Will's frog themed bed.

"_Maybe_ I _have_ been complaining a lot," Cornelia decided, frowning. Irma opened her mouth to comment.

"Don't say anything Irma," Cornelia scowled. Irma turned away, glancing at the clock, it flashed 8:49 PM. Will walked over to the other side of the room and touched her clock. It sprung to life and adjusted the time to 8:56 PM.

"Took you long enough," it muttered.

"So, my mom wouldn't be back for an hour," Will said, "what should we do?" The girls gathered in a small circle on Will's floor between her desk and bed talking, until a knock on the door silenced them. Taranee grabbed for the floating fire but it slipping through her fingers. Irma pointed her finger at it, putting it out with a small jet of water, but also getting Taranee wet with the extra moisture.

"Yes Mom?" smiled Will, opening the door.

"When did the lights go out?" asked Mrs. Vandom.

"It's okay Mom, they just went out, right before you got here. We were fine," Will said.

"Yeah, everything's perfect," Irma agreed sarcastically, the other girls nodded.

"Well ok, but go to bed soon, it'll be ten soon and I have to leave to go to quick meeting in the morning," Mrs. Vandom explained, she shut the door. Hay Lin yawned, giving into her tiredness.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" she asked. Taranee yawned as well and nodded in agreement. The girls took turns in the bathroom getting changed and ready to sleep. Laying out their sleeping bags on the floor in Will's room, they each wriggled inside them and slowly fell asleep, one by one.

_Hay Lin looked over the city. The stars twinkled and looked down at her. Hay Lin felt different; she didn't feel as easygoing as she always did. Even without a mirror, she knew she was not dreaming of being in her own body. She glanced around, this had only happened once before. She remembered she had been a dog and was being chased down the street by an angry man. That next day she had seen a dog being chased down the street by the man in her dreams. Hay Lin shook off the memory and looked around, staying vigilant to any danger that would occur. _

_Hearing footsteps, she spun around and rose into the air. Glancing behind her she noticed she had wings. _I must be one of the other guardians! Thought Hay Lin._ She attempted to fly away but the person whose feet had betrayed him leaped into the air, powered by large black wings. She looked back and saw a being similar to Matt, when he was transformed. Hay Lin hesitated and thought to Will immediately. Suddenly she was back on the ground, held against her will in the creature's grasp. She struggled to free herself, but was forced forward towards what appeared to be a red fold._

"HELP ME!" cried Hay Lin. The guardian of air sat up in her sleeping bag. During the dream she had forgotten she had only been dreaming.

"Are you ok Hay Lin?" asked Will.

"Did I wake you?" Hay Lin asked.

"You were screaming in my ear. No one else is awake though," Will replied.

"Will, I had a bad dream, but I think it's important," Hay Lin said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Will. She sat up and moved to her bed. Hay Lin followed her. "What happened?"

"I think I was standing on a roof, or a balcony. I was one of you guys, as a guardian. Then this person who looked like Matt, when he has wings, came after me and was about to force me through a red fold. Then I started screaming and woke up," Hay Lin explained.

"What do you think it means?" asked Will, glancing to the clock, it read 5:12 AM.

"I don't know, the dream with Elyon was easier to decipher," Hay Lin said.

"It was only easier because we knew what was going to happen," Will responded, "we must be missing something."

"Maybe, maybe the others know something. But I think I should go back to sleep," Hay Lin replied. Will yawned and joined the others on the floor. Soon all five girls were asleep once more.

"Girls! Brunch will be ready in five minutes!" called Will's mother. Will blinked her eyes open a few times. She woke up the other girls and told them to get dressed for brunch. When Will checked her clock, she noticed they had slept until eleven in the morning.

"Will, why does your room stink?" asked Taranee. She stood up and glanced in the mirror.

"My mom must have burned something in the kitchen, something always ends up burning," Will laughed, grabbing her hairbrush from her dresser. She noticed her tiara from her costume had been removed from her dresser. She shrugged it off, thinking her mother had done it while cleaning.

"Taranee, hurry up!" called Irma. She was fully dressed and standing halfway out the door, "I smell pancakes for breakfast, and maybe toast."

"Wait, my hair must have come undone while I was sleeping, and my bead slipped off," Taranee explained, diving to the floor and peering under everyone's sleeping bags.

"Girls!" called Mrs. Vandom.

"We'll find it later," Hay Lin promised. The five girls assembled in the kitchen and sat down.

"Did you burn something this morning Mom?" asked Will.

"Yes, I left some toast in the toaster too long, but I was sure I had closed your door so none of the smell got into the room," Mrs. Vandom explained.

"Yeah," Will replied. She grabbed a pancake and stared eating. "When did you get home this morning?"

"An hour ago, the meeting was short," Mrs. Vandom responded. She walked off down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

"Girls, Hay Lin had a nightmare last night, she thinks it might be like the one she had about Elyon," Will explained once her mother was out of earshot.

"Really?" Cornelia asked, she sounded slightly skeptical.

"Are you sure?" asked Taranee. Hay Lin recounted her nightmare to the girls, but they too, didn't have any leads.

"Speaking of guardian things, I think all of our stuff going missing isn't just our carelessness," Taranee said.

"So my necklace in the locker room-" Irma said.

"And my scrunches-" Hay Lin added.

"And the red bead, might not be accidents. I think someone might be taking them," Taranee explained.

"But nothing of mine is missing," Will said.

"Are you sure?" asked Hay Lin.

"Well, this morning I couldn't find my crown from Halloween, but I bet my mom just moved it," Will answered. Just as she finished her sentence Mrs. Vandom walked into the room.

"What am I being blamed for Will?" she asked.

"I was just saying that you moved the crown from my costume off my dresser," Will explained.

"Sorry Will. I haven't touched it. Where did you get that thing anyway?" asked Mrs. Vandom.

"You didn't get it for me?" asked Will perplexed.

"I had the dress. Your crown and necklace were, well, _yours_," said Susan. The wind blew into her bedroom, a folder was overturned and paper scattered into the hallway. Will's mother rushed away to collect them and shut the window.

"See, you are missing something!" Taranee said.

"All the items that are missing are things we received at about the same time," Irma responded.

"So, Cornelia is the only one who has yet to "lose" something," Hay Lin said, accenting the word by making quotes with her fingers.

"What did Cornelia have when I had the bead, Hay Lin had her scrunches, Will had her tiara, and Irma had the necklace?" asked Taranee.

"The bracelet charm!" exclaimed Will. The girls all stood up and raced for the door.

"Mom, we're going to Hay Lin's, we'll be back in a few minutes!" called Will, slamming the door behind her. The girls rushed down the stairs and outside into the cold morning air. November was coming on stronger now.

"The duckling should still be in my cardboard box in the basement," Hay Lin said. She raced down the street, the other following her towards the restaurant. Hay Lin threw open the doors, since the restaurant didn't open for another two hours she didn't care if she made a lot of noise. The girls hurried down the steps and saw the box.

"He's not here!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

**--- ---**

The duckling cried out in protest as it was carried down a dark corridor and behind a quiet waterfall. In the dark, a figure stood looking down at a collection of what appeared to be mismatched trinkets. A red bead, a shell on a string, a silver costume crown, and a pair of stretched hair ties rested on the table in the figure's view. The duckling was placed on the table with the other objects by a pair of green hands, tufted with white fur.

"What is this?" asked the figure. The deliverer responded.

"The last item you requested from the guardians."

"I did not plant this one, I told you the earth guardian's charm is a golden flower from a bracelet," responded the shadow.

"But th-"

"Each of the charms holds some of the wearer's power," The figure reached out and picked up the red bead, "Fire!" A ball of fire emerged from the bead, it floated in mid air, illuminating the area for a minute before dying. The flame showed the two figures to each other, revealing that the passling Jeek had retrieved the duckling, and handed it over to Nerissa. "This duck is not the last charm!"

She scooted it aside and retrieved a ruby red jewel from the pocket of her robes. Jeek stepped closer, but Nerissa spotted him and narrowed her gaze.

"Jeek no steal, just check price value," the passling lied.

"Get away," she hissed, her eyes flashed gold for a second, cutting through the darkness, but as she blinked they switched back to her natural color. Jeek felt a shiver go through his spine. Nerissa held the red jewel in the air and waved her wands around it muttering an almost silent incantation. The red jewel glowed with its own light as she finished. Holding it over each object in turn, she absorbed the necklace, the bed, and the scrunches. She placed the crystal into her staff and turned on Jeek.

"Why aren't you gone!" she screamed. She rounded on him with much more speed than he expected her to for her age. She pointed the newly powered crystal at the duck and it blasted a fire ball at it. The duck turned to the fire and squeaked. Instead of being toasted, a yellow shield emitted from the duckling and protected it.

"What!?" exclaimed Nerissa, "but that must mean the bird ate the charm! Get it!" Jeek scrambled after it, accidently knocking over a bottle of dust and breaking it. A fold appeared where the dust floated in the air, the duckling jumped through it followed by Jeek. Nerissa scowled at herself for not seeing that coming, but returned to the table where the crown lay untouched, sparkling with electricity.

**--- ---**

"Mom, Dad!" called Hay Lin. She rushed into the kitchen, seeing her mother placidly chopping vegetables.

"Hay Lin, you're home early. Here, help me with these vegetables," she smiled.

"Mom, where's my duck?" Hay Lin pled.

"A duckling?" asked Mrs. Lin, "your father had a duckling a while ago, you should as-"

"Thanks mom!" Hay Lin called as she raced out the back door. She nearly crashed into her father, but stopped short.

"Dad!" Hay Lin asked, then paused, "why are you holding a broom?"

"That duckling you had in the basement is dangerous!" He explained, setting the broom up so it leaned against the wall of the building.

"Why, what happened?" asked Irma.

"I had taken it upstairs to cook," stated Mr. Lin.

"Dad!" cried Hay Lin.

"But as I tried to cook it, it glowed yellow and took off, it must be radioactive or something!" he said, "There it is!" Hay Lin jumped around and scooped up the duckling from behind the dumpster.

"Hay Lin, put that thing down!" ordered Mr. Lin.

"Come on girls," Hay Lin said, rushing under her father's arm and into the basement where she set the duckling back in its box.

"That duck can't live here anymore," Irma sighed.

"I know who would take him!" smiled Taranee, "Will, can I borrow your cell phone?" Will handed over her phone and Taranee dialed the number.

"Hello, is this the petting zoo's number? --- Yes? Good, I have a question --- no, I have a duckling here, --- yes I know its winter --- but would you be willing to take it? --- You would? --- --- --- thank you so much, bye." Taranee smiled at the girls, "the petting zoo south of the art museum can take him, Cornelia get your car, let's go." Cornelia arrived ten minutes later with her birthday present, a silver convertible, the roof was put up for the winter, and they climbed in.

Hay Lin clutched the box in her arms during the ride and watched the duckling. When they arrived Hay Lin let the little duck inside the kiddy pool the people working there showed them too. Other baby birds swam in the water with her duck, swimming in circles. Hay Lin went to dump the box in a garbage bin and spotted a shiny, golden trinket.

"Cornelia, look what I found!" Hay Lin smiled, showing Cornelia the box. Cornelia grabbed the box from her then shoved it down into the garbage.

"Ew!" she shuddered, thinking how that must have gotten there.

"Don't you want to keep your charm?" smiled Irma, "it was from Caleb, wasn't it?"

"No, I thought about it, and Caleb would never know how to use the postal system here," Cornelia sighed, "cheap jewelry belongs in the garbage anyway." The girls laughed and made their way out to the car in the parking lot.

As the girls left, a green hand reached out from under a banana peel in the garbage and grasped the tiny flower charm. The hand retreated back into the trash can, clutching its prize.

* * *

Episode 9 done! Up next is **Episode 10 (The Power Within)** I hope you liked the latest installment of my story. Remember to review! 


	10. The Power Within

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** I know a lot of, episodes/books/shows/games/whatever, carry the same name of the episode, but it's just the episode name so I'm going to use it too, even if it is a little cliché.

* * *

**Episode 10 (The Power Within)**

"Mom, I'm going to the pool!" Will called. She wasn't sure her mother had heard her, but she wanted to get in some practice before the swim season started. She pulled the Heart of Candracar carefully from her neck and sat it down on her dresser. She wasn't going to take it to the pool; she didn't trust any of the little kids that ran around there when their parents weren't looking. Will grabbed her bag and left the house.

Mrs. Vandom stepped out of her bedroom and saw the front door close. She continued to tidy up the house. Will's room was the last place yet to be cleaned. Placing a foot inside the room, she first checked under the bed looking for Mel.

"Where is that cat?" Susan frowned. Her original motive for cleaning the house had been to locate that cat, but even after she had searched the whole house, Melissa was nowhere to be found. Sighing and surveying the room, Susan began by making Will's bed.

Normally, Mrs. Vandom never did these types of things for Will, but she felt like being lenient today, and fixed up the room. She folded clothes which had found their way onto the floor, closed the closet doors, and tidied up Will's dresser. On the dresser Susan found the Heart of Candracar resting on a folded shirt Will had neglected to put away. Picking the crystal up, she wondered where her daughter had gotten such a beautiful jewel. She tucked it away in Will's forgotten jewelry box in her top drawer and continued her mission.

Will walked home from the pool, swinging her bag back and forth, thinking about her swimming that day. She unlocked her front door and tossed her things on the couch, hurrying into her room to return the heart to its home around her neck. Will opened her bedroom door and blinked a few times, her room was spotless. She panicked and rushed over to the dresser where she had laid the heart before she left. It was gone.

"No!" Will mumbled, her voice had left her. She tried to think of where her mother would put it._ Would she have thrown it out?_ Was her first mental question, but she knew the answer was no. She dug through her drawers and dove to the floor to check under her bed. The heart wasn't there. Will checked her closet and her desk, but she couldn't find it. She tapped her alarm clock and gathered her voice.

"Where did my mom put the heart?" she questioned.

"The what?" asked her clock.

"The Heart of Candracar, my necklace!" Will explained.

"I haven't seen any-" Will stomped off and ignored the clock. She wondered how she would ever find it. Every time she took the heart off, Will felt incomplete, she knew it was because the Heart of Candracar was a part of her, but now it was missing. She remembered suddenly when the girls and her had faced Nerissa; how she could always make her hearts come to her.

Willing the heart to her hand, Will waited, focusing on the crystal. Nothing happened. She walked out of the room discouraged, but did not give up. She searched the entire house, finally collapsing on the couch from fatigue. In the silence she heard ringing coming from her room. Will got to her feet and followed the noise to her old, jewelry box. She opened it and the heart zipped out, floating in front of her face. Relief swept over Will like a wave at the beach as she slipped the chain over her neck and felt the heart return to its home.

**--- ---**

"You should have been more careful Will, what if your mother had thrown it out," Cornelia said at lunch.

"She wouldn't have thrown it out," Will replied.

"But still, why did you leave it out? Don't you normally take it to the pool with you?" asked Irma.

"Yes, but there are tons of little kids there now, I'm worried that one of them might see it and run off with it," Will explained, toying with the macaroni on her plate, "and when I tried calling it, the heart didn't come."

"You did say you found it in a box, maybe it couldn't get out of-" Hay Lin said.

"But when ever Nerissa called the hearts she had to her, they always came back. Even if they were in someone's grasp, like my hands or even in Kadma's staff," Will sighed.

"Maybe recalling the Heart of Candracar is like using our powers," Taranee whispered, eyeing the table next to theirs, "maybe you have to learn how to do it."

"Maybe, but who would teach me?" Will asked, "Even if we knew where Nerissa was, I wouldn't ask her."

"My grandma had the heart, she gave it us. Maybe she would know how!" Hay Lin smiled.

"But she was only given the heart to hold when Nerissa killed Cassidy," Taranee responded, "what about Cassidy, the Oracle said she had the heart for a while."

"Or what about the Oracle and the others in Candracar!" exclaimed Will, "They would know, right?"

"And if they didn't, they'd have to know someone who would know," Irma added.

"Another field trip to Candracar?" asked Cornelia.

"Definitely," said Will.

The girls met after school in the parking lot behind the school. It was void of cars and people so Will pulled out the heart, the source of their questions.

"Guardians Unite!"

"Water,"

"Fire,"

"Earth,"

"Air,"

"Quintessence." A fold was opened and the guardians entered the castle, finding the Oracle and Helinor in the main, circular room.

"Welcome girls," smiled Helinor. The Oracle nodded his greetings.

"Oracle, I have a question," Will began. He nodded for her to continue. "I was wondering if you could teach me to call back the Heart of Candracar."

"The heart will always come back to its keeper," explained the Oracle, "you just need practice."

"So, she can just call it like a dog?" questioned Irma.

"No, the heart wants to be with the keeper. If the two are separated, you must show the heart the way back to you, calling to it mentally, willing it to returned," the Oracle stated.

"So, how do I do it?" asked Will, taking the heart off her neck and holding it in the air.

"The oracle will show you," Helinor smiled. Cornelia, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin walked with Helinor over to the stonewall surrounding the fountian, taking a seat.

"How long do you think it will take Will to learn this?" asked Taranee.

"It is unknown how long anyone has worked with the heart to recall it," Helinor sighed, "we never knew that Nerissa even attempted it, until she was parted from it in one of our fights and it zipped back to her hand immediately."

"Wow," muttered Hay Lin.

"They are starting," Helinor said, pointing to the Oracle and Will. Will had placed the heart on the ground a foot from her hand. The Oracle was instructing her, the girls could not hear his words, but they knew Will was listening; she was entirely focused on the new task ahead of her. The four girls sat with Helinor on the side of the room, only guessing what Will was hearing in the form of instructions from the Oracle.

After what seemed like hours of silent watching, the girls had to work harder to fake their patience. Will seemed to be no closer to calling the heart back then she was in the beginning, but at least she had something to do. Helinor noticed the girl's fidgeting and called a halt to the practice, claiming Will must need a break.

"Will, how did it go?" asked Irma, looping her arm over her friend's shoulder.

"You saw how it went," Will sighed, "terrible."

"It's ok," Hay Lin said, "it might just take a while."

"You'll get it," smiled Taranee.

"Yeah, but first, can you fold us home?" asked Cornelia.

"Oh yeah, sure. This must be really boring for you guys, just watching me," Will smiled. She picked up the heart from the ground, slashed it across the air, and opened a fold. The girls stepped through; changing back into their normal clothes, watching the fold seal itself up behind them.

"How long do you think Will will be there?" Taranee asked.

"Don't know, what time is it anyway, I'm hungry," Irma said, holding a hand to her growling stomach. Taranee checked her watch.

"Its ten after twelve," she answered.

"When did you start wearing a watch?" asked Hay Lin.

"Hay Lin, can we go grab something to eat upstairs?" asked Irma.

"Sure, why don't we eat in the restaurant for a change, instead of running off with whatever we get," suggested Hay Lin.

"Sounds good, it's starting to get cold outside this time of year anyway," Cornelia said. They walked up the stairs and Hay Lin led them to a booth by the window. Hay Lin's grandmother walked over after seeing the girls enter.

"Where's Will?" she asked, seeing only four of the five guardians.

"She's in Candracar," answered Taranee.

"Learning to call back the heart," responded Irma, checking the menu for lunch.

"Oh, I was starting to wonder when she'd wonder how to do that," Yan Lin sighed.

"Did you ever know how to recall it?" asked Hay Lin, "you did have the heart; you're the one who told us about our powers."

"I only held it for safekeeping, it was never mine. After Cassidy was killed, and Nerissa was banished, our group was done, three guardians could never protect the world on their own," Yan Lin explained.

"Oh," sighed Hay Lin, sorry she asked.

"What about Nerissa?" asked Cornelia, "how did she get so good?"

"She never told us anything about the heart," Hay Lin's grandmother started to say.

"Yeah, Helinor told us," Taranee replied.

"She discovered the power in a fight on Meridian," Yan Lin, "even she was surprised, but after that, and a few weeks, or was it months? Of practice, she was able to call it back even if there was no danger."

Yan Lin left the girls to digest what they had just learned. They ordered a small lunch and finished eating just soon after, yet there was still was no sign Will had returned. After they ate, the topic of guardians and hearts seemed to have dissolved, and they moved on to more earthly matters.

"Are you guys going to the Thanksgiving Day parade this year?" asked Hay Lin.

"The what?" Taranee asked, sipping her tea and dunking in a bit of fortune cookie.

"Every year the town has a big Thanksgiving Day parade, it runs right past Will's house too," added Cornelia, "you've never gone to see it?"

"No, my parents aren't the parade type," Taranee replied.

"Well, you'll have to go see it then," Irma smiled.

"Hey, doesn't that look like Will's cat, Mel?" asked Cornelia, pointing outside to the feline sitting on the windowsill a few tables down, looking in towards the restaurant at them.

"It does, we have to get her," Hay Lin answered. The girls all scooted out of the booth and rushed outside. They saw the cat leap from the windowsill and land on the sidewalk, racing away from them.

"Hurry!" called Taranee. The girls rushed after the chocolate cat, weaving around people and causing drivers to step on their car's brakes as they rushed through intersections. The tiger striped cat darted around a bus and into an alley between two businesses.

"She went that way!" pointed Irma. The girls hurried into the alley and stopped. A tall, chain-link fence barred their way to the other side. A dumpster and several bags of garbage were piled on one side of the alley, while the other supported a fractured, decaying wooden box and several cans of paint.

"Where could she had gone?" muttered Cornelia. A shadow moved from behind the dumpster, Cornelia took a step forward, but stood still in shock when they saw it wasn't Mel. The person smiled.

"You can't, it isn't-" Irma muttered.

"You were in the jewel-" Hay Lin stuttered.

"How did you get out?!" questioned Cornelia.

"Girls, that's not much of a welcome, is it," Nerissa sneered. The girls hesitated for a second before blasting her with each of their powers. Without the heart they weren't very powerful, but they still tried. With the agility of someone much younger then she looked, Nerissa whipped out a brilliant, blood red crystal and the elements scattered.

"How did she do that?" asked Taranee. The girls each knew they needed Will's help, only together they would be able to find out what secrets had kept Nerissa alive and standing before them now. Taranee mentally called out to Will, trying to get through to her through all the mental static. Nerissa aimed the crystal at the fire guardian and sent a swirling jet of water at her. Taranee blasted fire at it, but it only heated the water before it surrounded her in a watery cocoon, her message for help never reaching its target.

"Taranee!" screamed Hay Lin, she whipped her hands around and sent a strong gust of wind at Nerissa. Waving the winds around her, Nerissa pushed her hands forward, and the guardian of air found herself inside a box of rock. She tried to summon more air to push the rock away but none would come to her aid.

Cornelia and Irma both directed their powers at Nerissa, hoping to catch her off-guard. Nerissa watched both the earth and water guardians send their elements at her. Again she used the crystal and the water flew into the air, raining down on them in icy splinters. The vines Cornelia had used were forced towards Irma, tightening around her body.

"Cornelia!" Irma complained, "stop them!"

"I'm trying!" shouted Cornelia, attempting to stop the vines from squeezing the life out of Irma. As she worked Nerissa sent a snake of fire at her, surrounding her in its coils.

**--- ---**

"Why won't it work?" Will shouted. She vented her frustration on the water in the fountain. The heart was unmoved, still sitting on the floor, waiting for her to try again.

"It will take much practice to call the Heart of Candracar to you," the Oracle explained.

"I just thought I'd be able to stick out my hand in the direction the heart was," Will replied, she turned and faced the object of her fury and reached out to it, mentally calling to it again, "Call to it, and it would come to me!" The heart levitated in the air and zipped into her hand. Will blinked and closed her hand around the jewel.

"Why did it-" but the Heart interrupted her by showing her an image of her friends. They were each trapped within the element that bettered their own, "I have to go; my friends need me, goodbye!" The Oracle and Helinor both nodded and watched Will fold away. She stepped into the alley and shivered. She had forgotten how cold it was and she was still in her guardian outfit, not the best protection from the wind.

"Will!" called Irma, struggling with the vines.

"Better late than never," scoffed Cornelia, trying to free herself from her prison of fire.

"Cornelia, why do you always have to be on my case!" Will shouted, her pent up anger jumped across her hair in the form of electricity.

"You really do need to control that temper of yours," jeered Nerissa. Will stepped back and saw her.

"Nerissa! How did you get here!" Will asked.

"You don't need to know," Nerissa responded, shooting a few bolts of electricity at Will. Ducking and dodging, Will found herself face to face with the last bolt. Hoping luck was with her, she reached out and grabbed for it, ready to throw it back at the former guardian. The bolt exploded in her palm and shot her backwards. She hit a brick wall and landed in the pile of garbage bags near the dumpster.

"Will!" exclaimed Irma, trying to get free and help her. Nerissa laughed and slowly made her way over to Will, she was trying to free herself from the shifting pile of trash.

"You've got a lot to learn, too bad you never will," laughed Nerissa. She held up the jewel, calling a last lightning bolt to her. Will braced for impact, but it never came, instead she saw the electricity fade in Nerissa's hands. Will took the opportunity to free herself and send one of her own at Nerissa. It hit the distracted ex-guardian and sent her flying towards the fence. Nerissa quickly got to her feet and swiped the red jewel through the air. A fold appeared and she disappeared through it. The elemental prisons vanished when their creator did, and released the others.

"What happened?" asked Will, transforming out of her guardian outfit.

"Let's go to the Silver Dragon and talk about it," Hay Lin said, happy to have fresh air around her once more. They walked to the Silver Dragon where they found the restaurant empty, aside from Yan Lin trying to complete the paper's crossword puzzle. They sat down next to her and explained.

"So?" asked Will again.

"Grandma, Nerissa's back," Hay Lin said.

"What!" Yan Lin exclaimed, double checking no one was around.

"And she had all of our powers!" Cornelia explained.

"What happened?" asked Hay Lin's grandmother.

"We found Nerissa in an alley, and she used the power of the elements against us," Hay Lin explained.

"She had a red crystal too, could she have found another heart? Her power seemed to come from inside the jewel," Irma said. Hay Lin grabbed a pen and pulled a napkin towards her, sketching out a picture.

"It looked like this grandma," Hay Lin said when she completed her drawing. She handed the napkin to her grandmother to study it.

"I've never heard of a red heart, but it is possible. What you've drawn doesn't really look like a heart though," Yan Lin responded.

"I don't think it was a heart," Taranee said.

"What do you think it _was,_ Taranee?" asked Cornelia, "what magical objects other then hearts carry power?"

"I don't know _what _it was, but I really don't think it was a heart," Taranee said again.

"I agree, Nerissa didn't use it like a heart either," Will said, "she didn't direct the other hearts at her target when she used their powers."

"True," Yan Lin added. Silence enveloped them.

"This is all my fault," frowned Will, "If only I could have learned to call the heart back to me faster this never would have happened!"

"So you got it?" asked Irma happily.

"No, at least I don't think I did," Will sighed, "I called it and the heart came, but it showed me you were in trouble."

"Just like when it showed us where to find you, when you were captured by Phobos," remembered Taranee.

"So _I_ didn't call it, _it_ called _me_?" Will frowned.

"Will, the heart will come more easily to you when there is danger for it or the guardians," Yan Lin explained, "that is how Nerissa first learned of the special power." Will thought about what she said for a second.

"Why _did_ Nerissa leave?" wondered Taranee aloud.

"It looked like her power was malfunctioning," Cornelia said.

"What do you mean, I was getting strangled!" Irma pointed out.

"Not with the elements we control, but with her own power, energy," Cornelia explained.

"Why would her own ability give her trouble?" wondered Yan Lin.

"It looked like she ran out of it," Will added, "right when she was about to toast me."

"And we didn't even find Mel," Hay Lin signed.

"You found Melissa!" smiled Will, "my mom will be so happy!"

"We'll, we didn't catch her," frowned Cornelia.

"Mel stands for Melissa?" asked Taranee, "it makes sense now!"

"What makes sense?" asked Irma.

"Remember how we followed Mel and found Nerissa?" asked Taranee.

"Yeah, so?" asked Cornelia.

"Melissa… Nerissa," Taranee continued, "coincidence?"

"But Taranee, my mom named her," Will frowned, "could Nerissa have gotten into my mom's mind and made her name her something more like her own name?"

"No, only Cassidy and Irma can do things like that," responded Yan Lin, "that power is the water guardians' alone."

"Oh," sighed Will.

"And the worst part is she was with us the whole time!" Taranee said.

"But how could she be a cat one second and a person the next?" asked Irma.

"Glamour power," Hay Lin stated. Yan Lin nodded her agreement.

"That would seem to be the way."

"But she did things only a cat would do, I thought glamouring only made it _appear_ you were something else, I didn't think it really made you the thing you wanted to be," wondered Will.

"It doesn't, you're right Will, it only hides the true nature of something with a cover," Yan Lin explained. The bell to the eatery rang as the door opened. The door parted only slightly allowing room for the small, black furry body of Napoleon to dart through.

"Napoleon get out! I told you you couldn't stay here," Hay Lin ordered. The cat sat up and turned to Cornelia.

"Something's going to happen," he told her, panting heavily.

"Too late, we already got attacked by your girlfriend, who by the way is Nerissa," smiled Cornelia.

"Too late?" wondered Napoleon, "oh and someone from the building is looking for you."

"Who?" asked Irma.

"I think I know," Cornelia gulped. The door opened again, letting Kadma enter the room. She spotted all the girls, Yan Lin, and Napoleon, and marched over.

"Whatever Lillian told you, I haven't done it, I was with the girls all day! Just ask them," Cornelia stated. Kadma opened her mouth to speak, then paused.

"Well, we should go," Irma said. She got up and said goodbye to the others. Taranee followed her and then Cornelia slipped out, Kadma watching her like a hawk. Will stayed seated even after Napoleon took off after Cornelia.

"What's wrong Will?" asked Hay Lin.

"It's the heart," Will responded, "what if I never get it?"

"You're learning how to recall the Heart of Candracar?" asked Kadma.

"I'm trying, but I can't get it," sighed Will.

"How long have you been working at it?" asked Kadma.

"For a few hours," replied Will.

"That's it? You might not get results for weeks, at least really good results," Kadma frowned, "take it from someone who knows about hearts."

"You?" asked Will, "oh right, the Heart of Zambala."

"Yes, and I can help you if you want," Kadma smiled.

"Please do," Will begged. Yan Lin directed them downstairs where they could work without being disrupted by the dinner crowd. Hay Lin went upstairs and waited to hear the news later. Will sat down and placed the heart on the table, waiting for Kadma's instructions.

"You have to find the heart," Kadma instructed.

"But its right there," Will said.

"No, you have to find it's force, it's being. Once you find it, you won't ever lose it again," Kadma explained. Will closed her eyes and imagined drifting through a misty space trying to locate the heart's energy. After sifting through white mist for an hour Will stopped and took a small break.

"_Will?" asked a voice in Will's mind._

"_Taranee?" asked Will mentally._

"_Yeah, Hay Lin said you're working with Kadma on recalling the heart, how's that working out?" asked Taranee._

"_Ok. Kadma's got me doing different things then the Oracle," Will replied._

"_The others want you to figure it out Will," said Taranee._

"_The others?" asked Will._

"_Listen," Taranee answered._

"_Good luck Will," said Hay Lin's voice._

"_I know you can do it," said Irma._

"_Come on Will, you know you've got it," Cornelia's voice encouraged her._

"_They all know? And they all want me to get it?" asked Will._

"_Yeah, so good luck. No pressure, you'll get it when you do," Taranee said._

"_Thanks girls," smiled Will._

"_You're welcome," they all answered._ Will closed her eyes once more and focused on the heart's energy. After half an hour of searching, she finally saw something different in the misty, cloudy world of her mind's eye. A shapeless mass of pink light waited for her around the next cloud, Will smiled and ran towards it. Instead of catching it, it leaped away and hid behind another cloud. This time she could feel it though, it would never be able to hide from her now, not that it wanted to, she could tell it wanted to return to her.

The next time she found it, she called it to her instead of coming to it. It inched towards her, and in her mind's eye the light surrounded her being. Will opened her eyes to find the heart touching her finger.

"Well done," Kadma smiled.

"But it was only an inch from my finger, did _it_ really move, or did I move to it?" asked Will.

"The heart moved towards you, I saw it. That was good from your first time Will," Kadma said.

"Thanks for that Kadma, but I have to get going now, my mom will be worried about me," Will replied. Will picked up the heart and returned it to her neck. She bounded up the stairs, out the door, and down the street, recounting the tale to her friends via Taranee's telepathy.

"Mom, I'm home!" called Will. She stopped when she heard talking. Her mother was talking on the phone, staring at a vase full of roses. She was looking at the card hanging off the vase.

"-hang on, Will, thank you for finding Mel," smiled Mrs. Vandom. Will looked up at her mother and saw Mel curled around her legs.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Will sighed.

"And nice choice on the ribbon too," added Susan, she turned back to her phone conversation. Will headed into her room and closed the door, but not before the cat slipped in after her. Mel sat Will's pillow and watched her through her gold, cat eyes.

"I know you're really Nerissa," said Will, her eyes locked on the red crystal which hung around the cat's neck. Mel opened her mouth, smiling.

"I know Will, but it doesn't really matter now, does it?" she asked, smiling an evil smile. As she turned her head, the red jewel caught the light and sparkled.

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Episode 10 done! Up next is **Episode 11 (A Red lit Past)** How is the story coming people? Remember to keep Reading and Review! I love good reviews! 


	11. A Red Lit Past

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** Ah, Nerissa and Will in the same house, and they both know it now! What chaos will ensue?

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**Episode 11 (A Red Lit Past)**

"So why does Heatherfield have a Thanksgiving Day parade?" asked Will. She pulled her coat tighter, fumbling with the mitten on her right hand. She glanced at her new watch; it read 3:30 PM.

"To celebrate, duh," Irma explained, "except unlike the fourth of July's parade, they don't give away free candy."

"Irma," giggled Hay Lin, the others added to the laughter.

"Hey it's snowing," Cornelia pointed out to the girls.

"The first snow of the season on Thanksgiving," said Will. A snowflake landed on her nose and melted instantly.

"Here comes the parade!" Hay Lin called. The girls looked down the street, it was packed with tons of other people, some held coffees and hot chocolates in their hands to keep warm as the weather got colder.

"Who's in the parade?" asked Taranee.

"Sheffield's marching band, the police and fire trucks, some floats about Thanksgiving, all the organizations in the city, the mayor, the town representatives, volunteer projects and organizations, random animals from the zoo like horses, lamas, and sometimes reindeer, the Heatherfield schnauzer club, and others," explained Cornelia, rattling each thing off.

They covered their ears as the sirens blared from the fire trucks and police cars. After the emergency vehicles, the marching band passed by, playing the school's song. Then the floats depicting the Indians meeting the settlers, sharing food, and having a big party drove past them at two miles per hour. After the floats, there was a period of silence as they waited for the next part. A lone horse and rider marched a short distance behind the floats. The rider was wearing a knight's helmet without the face plate and a long black cloak. The black horse had a matching cloak that ran the length of its body down to its knees.

"I've never seen that one before," Irma said, watching the rider approach their section of crowd.

"Will," Hay Lin said, tugging on her sleeve

"Yeah?" asked Will.

"Does that cat that's running into the street look like, well Mel?" asked Hay Lin, using her cat name since was a cat at the moment. Will turned and watched the cat leap up from the ground onto the rider's lap and rubbed her face against his arm. Will pushed past the people standing in front of her and rushed onto the street.

"Hey!" called Will, waving her arms to get the man's attention. He reined his horse over to her at the side of the road and waited.

"Sorry, that's my cat," explained Will.

"It's ok, she's a nice cat, a beautiful collar too. Where did you get such a jewel?" he asked. Will looked up the man, she saw he looked more like a boy in his late teens then a full grown man up close, but she felt his eyes on her, waiting for an answer.

"Oh I just found it at a dollar store, nothing important," Will lied. She felt the boy's gaze continue to burn into her, almost as if he knew she was lying to him.

"I see, try to be more careful with her," he added. He handed Mel down to Will and clucked to his horse. Horse and rider walked away, but the boy turned his head to watch the redhead carry the cat to her mother and stand with four other girls.

"Will, how did she get out?" asked Susan.

"I don't know," Will frowned.

"Did you leave your window open?" asked Susan, glancing back towards the house and seeing Will's window slightly open, "that's how she got out, remember to close your window. Ok Will?" Will sighed heavily and walked off with her friends, leaving her mother to put the cat back in the house.

"You didn't leave the window open, did you?" muttered Irma.

"No," replied Will, "Nerissa must have quintessenced it open."

"But why?" asked Cornelia.

"I don't know, but she seemed to know exactly where she was going, straight to that boy on the horse," Hay Lin said.

"Let's get away from here and talk about it," Will said, glancing up at her window and seeing the two golden eyes of her evil cat.

"We can stop at my house," Taranee suggested. The girls agreed and walked over to her house.

"So, did you guys come up with any ideas about the jewel?" asked Will.

"Why don't you just take it from her Will, she's just a cat," Cornelia said. Will looked at Cornelia and pulled off the mitten on her right hand. Her hand had a thick bandage running from the base of her fingers down past her wrist, part of a scratch on her finger showed the ones under the wrappings were red and had hardly scabbed over yet.

"Don't you think I've tried?" Will asked, shoving her mitten back on her hand, "she's still evil."

"I wonder why she hasn't attacked you… Well, other than that," asked Taranee. She opened her front door and led the girls inside.

"Maybe because she wants to steal more of your stuff," Irma suggested.

"We don't even know if she's the one who took the stuff, let alone _if_ anyone took the items," Cornelia said, peeling off her designer jacket and laying it on Taranee's couch.

"Cornelia, the probability of each one of us losing an object we received at roughly the same time period without it being planned, is really low. Someone had to have taken them," Taranee explained.

"But who?" asked Hay Lin.

"And why?" Irma questioned.

"I don't know," Taranee sighed. She sat down on her couch and turned on the TV, the news channels were showing the parade from start to finish, they had caught it just as it started.

"That knight guy isn't there," Cornelia noticed, watching the floats pass on the television.

"Yeah, he's supposed to be after the last float with fake food on it," Irma added.

"That's weird," Will said, "isn't the parade the same each year, and at every corner?"

"It's supposed to be," Hay Lin said.

"Maybe he wasn't in the parade, he just got mixed up in it," Taranee wondered aloud.

"Why would a boy be riding a horse in a cape in the middle of street if he wasn't in the parade?" asked Cornelia.

"You're right, but he didn't match the rest of the parade very well," Taranee frowned.

"Taranee?" called Irma from the kitchen, "do you have any hot chocolate?"

"Yes, I'll help you," Taranee responded, she got up and walked away to help Irma in the kitchen.

"So," Hay Lin said, breaking the silence.

"Why didn't we just stay at your house Will?" asked Cornelia.

"You don't want to be stuck in the same room as that cat, especially when you know she's evil! Talk about keeping your enemies close," Will sighed.

"Hey, that's just like your fortune in your fortune cookie!" laughed Hay Lin.

"What are you talking about?" asked Cornelia.

"Remember at your party? My grandma gave out fortune cookies; Will's said something about your enemies will be closer than your friends, and look at Nerissa. She's been living in the same house as Will for months, she's definitely closer than we are," Hay Lin said.

"That's a little creepy," Will shuddered.

"How did you remember this?" asked Cornelia, her eyebrows raised in question.

"I have a really good memory," smiled Hay Lin.

"Than last year's math class must have slipped through your brain," joked Will.

"Well, math doesn't count," Hay Lin replied. Cornelia and Will tried to suppress their giggles but couldn't. Taranee and Irma appeared holding a tray of hot chocolate, handing everyone a mug to drink.

"What's everyone going to do on their four day weekend?" asked Irma.

"My mom is taking Lillian and me to that big mall, The Mall of America. I'm going to be spending six hours stuck in a car with my little sister. But at least I get to shop," Cornelia smiled.

"I'm stuck on delivery duty. It might be ok if my parents let me drive their car to deliver all the food. You'd be surprised how many people order our food on Thanksgiving Day. None of the food even has turkey in it," Hay Lin said.

"I'll be home studying for my first semester finals," Taranee responded.

"That's it?" asked Cornelia.

"Well, Sunday, my family and I are driving out to see my grandparents. We're driving back to where we used to live before we moved here to see them," finished Taranee.

"At least it's something; I'm staying here at the whole time. I get to put up with Nerissa the cat. What about you Irma?" asked Will.

"I'm not doing anything," Irma replied.

"No, why did you ask if you're not doing anything?" asked Hay Lin.

"No reason, I just wanted to know if all of you were going out of town," Irma replied.

"Did Martin ask you out on a date?" asked Cornelia, smiling.

"No, he didn't ask me," Irma responded, her friends faces made her give in, "ok, so he stopped by when I wasn't home and Chris answered the door. _He_ told Martin I'd _love_ to go to the movies with him. Then he told me in front of my parents and didn't even get into trouble because my dad thinks Martin is a _nice_ guy."

"How romantic," sighed Cornelia sarcastically. She set down her empty mug, stood up, and grabbed her jacket and mittens.

"Thanks Taranee, but I have to go," Cornelia said. The others stood as well and said their goodbyes. The girls pulled on their coats, scarves, hats, and mittens and walked outside. Snow was still fluttering down from the clouds, but the sun was starting to peek just as it began to descend from the sky.

Will walked over three blocks and found her house, the street was littered with streamers and plastic cups leftover from the parade. The wind died down as Will found her key and opened the outside door of the building. She climbed the stairs and entered the threshold of her house, pulling off her coat and mittens. Flexing her bandaged hand to rid it of the numbness that came with the cold weather, she saw her mother.

"Mom?" whispered Will. Susan Vandom lay on the couch; it appeared as if she had collapsed there, instead of lying down for a nap.

"James?" asked Will.

"Miss Will," the refrigerator responded.

"What happened?" asked Will, glancing at her mother.

"Your mother was going through one of her usual cleaning sprees, and had just finished cleaning me out. She walked down the hall muttering something about how you always mess up your room so quickly. I'm guessing she went into your room to clean it," James explained.

"James! What happened next?" asked Will.

"Your mother, after walking down the hall, came right back here wide eyed, and fainted on the couch. At least I _think_ she fainted, I wouldn't know what that feels like, being run by electricity-" James rambled.

"Whatever," Will said, rushing down the hall and opened her door just a tad. She saw Mel sitting on her bed, watching the window. Instead of walking in, and asking what was going on, Will waited at the door, silencing her breathing and watching her tiger cat. Will was sure she saw Mel's ears twitch backwards towards her when she opened the door a little more, but the cat didn't stir otherwise.

Will flinched as Mel spoke, Nerissa's voice coming out of the cat's mouth. Mel muttered a quiet quintessence, and the window flew open. She bounded off the sill and onto the fire escape, climbing up onto the roof. Will flung open the door, and followed her cat out the window. She checked the roof for signs of life and scuttled behind an air vent positioned near the top of the stairs. She glanced around the vent, seeing a red fold shimmering against the wall to the indoor stairs. The boy from the parade led his dark horse over to it with Mel close on his heels.

"Now show me," Will heard him command her. Mel blinked; her golden eyes disappeared and were replaced by her real orbs. A blinding, red flash erupted from the crimson crystal around the cat's neck. Will saw Nerissa standing where her cat had been, only moments before.

"So, Faris was it?" asked Nerissa.

"It's pronounced Far-iss," hissed the boy.

"Yes yes," sighed Nerissa, "you got my message then?"

"I did, but I do have a few questions before I agree to anything," Faris responded. Nerissa nodded for him to continue; Will scooted closer to them to hear them better. She shivered as the wind blew against her bare arms, wishing she had brought a sweater or her coat.

"Where did you get that crystal?" asked Faris.

"Why does it matter?" questioned Nerissa.

"It's not yours, that's why. Where did you get it? Even that girl seemed to know it wasn't yours," Faris said, remembering Will's lie. Will cringed, "he _did_ know I was lying," she muttered under her breath.

"Its mine, I won it," Nerissa said, "speaking of winning, how is Rokador?"

"We are fine," Faris answered, he dropped the subject on the crystal, "we have just finished our conquest of Sonery. And then you called me here, but why?"

"I am in need of your help to conquer this world," Nerissa said, Will questioned her motives.

"You defeated us, why would you need our help?" Faris wondered.

"You weren't there boy, there were five of us when we defeated your world's armies, now there is only me," Nerissa replied.

"I will think about your offer. I'll tell my men and have an answer by tomorrow," Faris answered. He sighed and climbed onto his horse. His cape billowed in the winter breeze, but he seemed unfazed by the bitterness. He marched his horse through the red fold and disappeared with it. Nerissa returned to her cat form and sat for a moment. She turned in Will's direction, and for a second Will was sure she'd seen her hiding there, but the cat jumped back onto the fire escape, leaving the shocked guardian alone.

"That was close," sighed Will. She took a deep breath of cold air and waited another few minutes before climbing down the fire escape the whole way and coming back in through her front door. She entered the house and found her mother still passed out of the couch.

"Where were you?" asked James.

"Outside," muttered Will.

"Without a coat?" asked James, "you-"

"If I want to be yelled at, I can wake my mother up," Will responded. She was nervous upon entering her room, but didn't find Mel anywhere as she shut the window. Relief flooding her face, she smiled and sat down on her bed, pulling back the covers. Mel leaped up and landed on Will's lap, purring innocently like a real cat. Will jumped up and screamed in shock.

"Jumpy, aren't we," sneered Mel. Even as a cat, her smile still weirded Will out.

"No," Will snapped, she climbed under covers and the lights turned off. Mel sat at the foot of the bed twitching her tail. Watching the guardian fain sleep, she smiled all the more.

**--- ---**

"So what did you hear?" asked Irma. The girls had gathered the next day at the Silver Dragon to hear what Will had heard. Yan Lin had brought down some tea and was seated next to her granddaughter on the cot.

"After I saw Mel turn into Nerissa using that red jewel of hers, she starting talking to the boy we saw in the parade, the one on the horse," Will said, "his name was Far-iss," she pronounced the name as he did, trying to get every detail she could remember.

"You saw your cat turn into Nerissa?" asked Cornelia.

"Yes!" Will exclaimed.

"See, I told you the cat was Nerissa!" Taranee smiled.

"Why would Nerissa be meeting with the boy from the parade?" asked Hay Lin.

"He is way too young for her," said Irma with mock seriousness.

"Nerissa said something about needing help for world conquest," Will explained, ignoring Irma's comment.

"That doesn't sound like Nerissa," Yan Lin said.

"The boy didn't believe her at first either, he said something about her defeating his army before, but Nerissa told him she had five people on her side then unlike now. And they spoke of a Ro-ka-dor, but I don't know what they meant," Will said.

"Rokador?" asked Yan Lin.

"Yeah, that's what it was, who is it?" asked Will.

"Not a _who_, but a _where_," Yan Lin explained.

"What do you mean?" asked Irma.

"Rokador is a world, much like Earth and Meridian," Yan Lin told them.

"So there are _more_ worlds?" asked Cornelia, sighing unhappily.

"Yes, there are many more. When I was still a guardian, we defeated the Rokadorian army at Zamballa," Yan Lin smiled.

"That's probably what she meant by the "I had five before"," Taranee said, "She meant you guys, the guardians!"

"What do you know about Rokador grandma?" asked Hay Lin.

"Not much, we fought them and defeated them. They had an army of winged men. They all had large feathered wings, but didn't fly unless they had too. They were led by their king, who we only knew to be their king because when we found where they were camped, they had royal emblems on everything that boy touched," Yan Lin stated.

"Boy?" asked Irma, "their king was a boy?"

"He appeared to be twenty at the time, but we never asked him," Yan Lin laughed.

"But why would he be interested in the jewel Nerissa has?" asked Will.

"It's magic, anyone would want more power," Cornelia replied.

"He had said it wasn't hers," Will said, "but then Nerissa had said it was, because, she had won it."

"Won it?" asked Taranee, "like in a contest?"

"No, by winning the battle," Yan Lin sighed, "I can't believe I didn't remember it."

"What?" asked Irma.

"After we rid Zamballa of that army and the locals had rushed us off to celebrate by asking Kadma to be their leader, Nerissa stayed behind a second longer with Cassidy and found a crystal. We never asked Nerissa about it, and Cassidy only told me after we saw Nerissa give the jewel to the Oracle. Cassidy told me Nerissa had found it in the rubble of the royal tent, it seemed to be a harmless piece of jewelry," Yan Lin added.

"If she gave it to the Oracle, how did she get it back?" asked Hay Lin.

"The Oracle did say he would give it to the mage for further inspection. So when the mage died and Nerissa took her place, she must have found it and kept it, remembering it to be the one she found," Hay Lin's grandmother said.

"Oh," Hay Lin responded.

"There's one more thing," Will said, the girls turned towards her again, "She's meeting with him again…. Tonight."

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Episode 11 done! Up next is **Episode 12 (Pieces of a Puzzle)** How will the girls of _witch_ respond to this new evil? How will the new evil discover the girls? Find out, next episode! 


	12. Pieces of a Puzzle

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** There is a little reference to the comic book series in this chapter for my readers, it's not that big, just a phrase from Cornelia which I thought would fit in very well. I really need to find the third arc/season of the comic books, if anyone knows how to get them, please tell me… thanks…

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**Episode 12 (Pieces of a Puzzle)**

The guardians met Will at her house that night around eight. Pulling out the heart they transformed in her bedroom, trying not to make too much noise and let Nerissa discover that they were spying on her. When all their feet touched Will's carpet, she opened the window and led them outside into the frigid, night air.

"The fold appeared on that wall before," Will explained. She pointed to the cement wall on the roof and the girls waited, shivering in the cold.

"Why did we change again Will?" Cornelia shuddered.

"Just in case something happens," Will explained. She suppressed a shiver of her own and watched the roof for any signs of the boy or her cat.

"Are you sure you saw Mel leave and go here?" asked Hay Lin.

"Yes, you guys waited with me, we all saw her leave my bedroom and climb the fire escape," Will snapped. The cold was working her last nerve faster than Cornelia ever had.

"Taranee, do you think you could make us a fire or something?" asked Cornelia.

"But it can't be too big, we don't want Nerissa to find us," Will added. Taranee nodded and conjured a small fire ball. She sat it on the roof and focused on it. The fireball didn't grow in size, but the warmth it gave off increased tenfold.

"Ah, warmth!" joked Irma, flinging herself at the flames dramatically. The girls erupted into hushed giggles and they settled down, each taking turns to watch for movement. They continued their cycle for two hours, waiting and watching, waiting and watching. As the two hour mark past, Cornelia stood up.

"I'm going home," she stated, "Will, change me back."

"Cornelia, don't leave," Will stuttered, "nothing's-"

"Right, nothing's happened yet," Cornelia replied, "I have to get up early tomorrow morning to drive to Minnesota. Sorry, but I'm leaving."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go too Will," Irma sighed.

"Nothing _is_ happening," Hay Lin frowned.

"We'll see you tomorrow Will," muttered Taranee. Will rose with the girls and pulled out the heart, changing them back to normal and letting them leave without another word. The flames had died out half an hour ago, so Will only saw their shadows creep down the fire escape and out of sight. She sat with her back to the vent, the cold wind mostly blocked by it. Will shivered again and wondered if she was wrong, had she somehow misheard that boy when he was talking with Nerissa? Will stood up and peeked around the vent again, nothing. She closed her eyes and tried to reconstruct the scene of the night before.

Before Will could picture anything in her mind's eye, someone grabbed her arms from behind and twisted them upwards behind her back. Falling to the roof to avoid further pain, Will panicked. She tried to call out to Taranee, but her mental, telephone line was giving her the busy signal.

Her captor shoved her forward and over to the other side of the roof. There, behind the vent for the furnace was the red fold which had eluded the girls. Will sighed and wanted to kick herself for not checking the entire roof for what they had been waiting for. There was no moon out that night; Will stumbled twice as she tried to fight back on unforeseen obstacles.

She managed to free her left arm, leaving her bandaged right one in the clutches of the person behind her. She twisted her body around like a sea otter, and blasted electricity at the person. The energy loosened their grip, but Will still hadn't managed to free herself as her captor shoved her through the fold.

Blinking several times, Will's eyes saw everything in a red tone. It took her a moment to realize that this world must be like Zamballa, only red. She saw a town from the balcony she stood on, and tried to fight back again. Will turned on the being and gasped as she saw him in the sunlight.

Faris grabbed for her free hand and caught it, dragging her down flight after flight of stairs. The dark surrounded them as they traveled deeper into the building where the fold had let them out. Opening a door, the boy pulled Will inside and shoved her out of his grip. He turned and left, locking the door and leaving Will alone.

Adjusting her bandage on her injured wrist, Will looked around the room. Behind her was a small, but seemingly comfy looking bed. A small bench faced the bed with cushions laid upon it. The ceiling was very high, and one window offered sunlight. Will wondered where she was, and then remembered Faris was from Rokador. She noticed the window at the top of the wall in the room. Fluttering her wings she rose and pressed on the glass with all her might. It didn't budge.

Will landed and pulled out her last resort for escaping. The heart was dimmed, but warmed at her touch, happy to bring her home. Will had no intention of learning why Faris had captured her and brought her here, even if he hadn't locked her in a prison cell. Swiping the heart across the air in the room, a fold was formed. Glancing again at the room, she bid farewell to the furniture and the vaulted fifteen foot ceiling.

As she stepped her foot through the fold, voices echoed in the room. Withdrawing back, Will listened and heard Nerissa's voice speaking to another. She guessed it was Faris', she had never heard his voice, but their words were muffled and Will couldn't decipher them very well. Making her decision, Will closed the fold, returned the heart back around her neck, and flitted up to the top of the ceiling. Pressing her ear to the ceiling Will heard their words as if they were speaking directly to her. Calling to Taranee again, Will hoped she could let the others listen in as well, but she couldn't get through. She suddenly remembered the girls were probably sleeping.

"You said you'd have an answer to my question Faris," Nerissa said, Will imagined Nerissa's eyes narrowing in on him.

"And I will, as soon as you answer my questions," Faris said. Will pressed her ear tighter against the wall, her wings fiercely buzzing to keep her stationary.

"What are they?" asked Nerissa annoyed.

"I want to know where you got that crystal," Faris said. Will wondered why he wanted to know so bad.

"Why do you want to know?" asked Nerissa, apparently so did she.

"It might have belonged to my father," Faris stated, "did you "win" it at Zamballa, around forty or so years ago?"

"Yes, I did," Nerissa stated. Will was shocked, why did Faris' father just leave this powerful jewel for the enemy to find.

"Oh, I see," Faris replied.

"Is that all?" asked Nerissa, Will could sense she was becoming impatient with the boy.

"One more question," he said, "why did you meet me as a cat when you brought me to Earth?"

"I was hiding," Nerissa cleanly stated. Faris must have asked why, but Will didn't hear him, Nerissa continued, "I was hiding from the guardians, the only ones who will try to deter you from taking over Earth, if you can stop them, no one will stand in your way." Will frowned, _was Faris really buying this? _She moved her head and rotated the chinks out before eavesdropping again. She had missed out on a word or two but caught on.

"-I used the potions I had collected in my workshop to hide as a cat on Earth. The girls never suspected until I almost showed them my identity, trying to defeat them. The potions are far better than any glamouring the hearts can do, oh I forgot, you don't know what those are…. Never mind," Nerissa stated.

"Speaking of the girls, I have one of them in the guest's lounge down the stairs," Faris spoke. Will looked around, _guest lounge?_

"Why did you put her there?" questioned Nerissa. Will heard footsteps on top of the room.

"It's the laws, the girl technically cannot be placed in the prisons without a proper crime since-" Faris stuttered and walked out of range. Will heard their footstep echoing in the flight of stairs just outside the room. Grabbing for the heart and making a fold, she jumped through it just as Nerissa stormed into the room, the door flung out of her way.

The fold closed leaving Will in the darkness on her building's roof. Breathing the cold, night air in great gulps, she stood and climbed down the fire escape. She was happy to be sheltered somewhat from the wind by the long sleeved shirt she had worn before she transformed, and smiled as she slipped into her warm room. Glancing at the clock Will saw it read; 2:37 AM, that would give her six hours of sleep before her mother would wake her up. She slid under her covers and went out like a light.

On the Monday after the four day weekend, Will meet with the other girls at lunch to retell her tale. She told them everything that happened, from the time they left to when she went to sleep. After her story had been recounted, the girls stared open mouthed at her, their lunches forgotten.

"Are you sure this wasn't a dream?" asked Cornelia. She adjusted her new shirt and stared at Will.

"You think I'm lying?" asked Will, she didn't believe this.

"No, but it would have been nice to hear it myself," Cornelia replied.

"I wish I hadn't left, I wanted to kick some bad guy butt!" Irma exclaimed. Will laughed at her friend's comment.

"Maybe that's why Will was attacked," Taranee reasoned.

"Because I left?" asked Irma.

"No, because we all left," Taranee continued, "Will, you said only this Faris guy attacked you, right?"

"Yeah," Will replied.

"That's why, he could have never taken on all five of us," Taranee stated, "so he waited until one of us was left alone."

"Why didn't you call us for help?" asked Hay Lin.

"I did, but Taranee was busy, I couldn't get through," Will explained.

"Sorry," Irma answered.

"For what?" Will asked.

"I was talking to Taranee after we separated," Irma said, poking her vegetables with a spork.

"It's ok," smiled Will, "if you _had_ come, I would have never learned this stuff."

"So what _did_ you learn?" asked Cornelia, "I mean, aside from the fact that this Faris guy is a prince." The girls all stared at Cornelia, questions written on their faces.

"What?" asked Cornelia.

"Where did you get that from?" asked Hay Lin.

"Will said that Faris said, the jewel was his father's. And Yan Lin told us that the jewel was found in the remains of the _royal_ tent. So, if his father was royalty, then he's royalty," Cornelia explained.

"Makes sense," Irma reasoned.

"Will also heard how Nerissa came to be a cat," Taranee added, "after she escaped from Elyon's jewel, she went to the mage's workshop and used a potion to _actually_ change her into a cat, so she could spy on us, or whatever."

"But why would she want to be a cat?" asked Hay Lin.

"You guys saw how we met her at first, through Napoleon," Cornelia said, "she might have been trying to go after Lillian's powers through him, but when she found out she could get into _our_ lives, she ditched him and stayed with Will. The Heart of Candracar is more powerful than one third of Lillian's powers."

"But if she had that crystal, and it's magic, why would she need Napoleon's or even our powers, she already had them," Will questioned.

"But the cat didn't have the jewel as a collar when we first saw her," Hay Lin said.

"So she must have gone back to Meridian and found it later," Irma stated.

"But why wouldn't she have searched for it first, instead of coming to us?" asked Taranee.

"I remember something else about Faris," Will told the girls, "Nerissa started talking about hearts and glamouring powers, but cut off. She said Faris didn't know what she was talking about and stopped talking about it."

"But if Faris' father had the jewel he'd have to know about its powers, right?" asked Hay Lin.

"But wouldn't have told his son about them when he told the story?" asked Cornelia, "it doesn't fit."

"What if he didn't know his crystal was a heart?" offered Irma.

"Maybe," sighed Will, "or maybe the crystal didn't have any power when he had it."

"So how does it have power now?" asked Cornelia.

"I don't know," frowned Will.

"This is like trying to solve a puzzle, you have the pieces, but none of them appear to fit together until you look at the bigger picture," laughed Hay Lin.

"Where did you hear that?" asked Irma, laughing along with her.

"My grandma told it to me when I was trying to solve a really hard puzzle," Hay Lin smiled.

"I wonder if Nerissa will be home today, she hasn't been back for three days now," Will said, "I wonder what she'll do what she sees me. I know she saw at least my wings as I folded back home."

"If she decides to slice and dice, just call us," smiled Irma, forming a phone with her fingers and holding her hand to her ear. The bell rang and the girls hurried off to class.

* * *

Episode 12 done! Up next is **Episode 13 (Undercover in Rokador)** They journey to Rokador! Remember to review! Thanks everyone…. 


	13. Undercover in Rokador

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

* * *

**Episode 13 (Undercover in Rokador)**

The basement of the Silver Dragon restaurant was packed as the last member of the meeting showed up. Yan Lin walked down the stairs behind her granddaughter, taking a set between Will and Irma. Matt and Caleb leaned against the wall and watched the girls. Blunk was riffling through the trash bin and picking out pieces he thought would be useful.

"Everyone's here," said Irma.

"So, why _are_ we all here?" asked Matt.

"We need to figure out why Nerissa wants that person from Rokador to take over the Earth," Will stated.

"First, what do we know about Rokador?" Taranee asked.

"The planet is red," Hay Lin replied.

"They're ruled by a prince," Cornelia said.

"Whose name is Faris," Will added.

"Who doesn't look much older than us," Irma smiled.

"Irma!" laughed Hay Lin and Will.

"What, I'm just stating a fact," Irma giggled.

"What else? There has to be more," commented Taranee.

"They were defeated in Zamballa by the guardians before us," said Cornelia.

"But how?" asked Will, pausing the conversation, "did they have a weakness? What were their strong points?" The group turned to Yan Lin.

"The Rokadorian army was very well trained. I've told you that their planet can only survive when they take over other worlds; we were called many times before we went to Zamballa. Each time we fought them, it was a close fight," Yan Lin spoke, "but it wasn't until Zamballa that we discovered they were defenseless against Kadma's ability to create earthquakes under their feet."

"Really? Earth is the element that can defeat them?" smiled Cornelia, suddenly, she was happy to have dropped by.

"But you said they had wings," Matt questioned, "why didn't they just fly away?"

"We wondered the same thing. We hardly ever saw them flying, the warriors mostly fought on the ground with swords and shields, like knights without horses," Yan Lin explained.

"Faris had a horse," Will said, "we all saw it at the parade, and I saw it again when I followed Nerissa to my roof."

"The leader of the army had a horse as well, but none of the others did. It had black wings as did its master, but it took to the sky more often than the men," Yan Lin reminisced.

"Ok, we need to think. Why would Nerissa want their help?" asked Will again. The group was silent.

"Maybe someone we should go and scout the place out," Caleb suggested.

"Now?" asked Hay Lin.

"How are we going to get there?" asked Cornelia, "don't you have to go to the place _first_ to know how to fold there?"

"Cornelia, _I_ _have_ been there!" Will exclaimed.

"Right," replied the blond. Will pulled out the heart and created a fold. The boys and Blunk looked to the red fold, stepping through while the girls transformed. The five guardians flew through the fold and landed on the other side.

"Wow Will, it _is_ really red here," Irma said, glancing around.

"So, what do we do?" asked Matt.

"You might want your wings for this one," Taranee added. Matt nodded and transformed into his winged, masked, yet now tailless form. Blunk hid behind a bush when he saw him, but came out after Hay Lin coaxed him back.

"Matt, since you look like those people, you should go out and walk around, and try to find out some stuff," smiled Will.

"What are the rest of us going to do?" asked Caleb.

"Hay Lin, you go with Matt, but don't be seen," Will added, "the rest of us will have to stay here and just watch and wait, unless you want to be captured." Caleb frowned but sat back. Hay Lin disappeared from view and followed Matt down the path into the market. The four girls, Caleb, and Blunk waited in the forest they had folded into, preparing to sit for a long time

"Will said there was a big castle over the town, maybe we should start by looking for that," Hay Lin whispered. Matt nodded, trying to figure out which way the voice had come from, then walked into the town. The people shied away from him, parting like the ocean to let him walk through. Hay Lin panicked, but calmed when she saw their faces. The people smiled as Matt passed them with Hay Lin close behind, no one was shouting or calling for help, so they moved on.

The red world offered up its people's lifestyles like an open book. Matt and Hay Lin noticed that everyone in the town had large, feathered wings on their backs, ranging in color from jet black to smoky grey.

"Maybe we should spilt up," Matt suggested, whispering to Hay Lin so no one would hear him.

"Ok, meet back with the others in half an hour," Hay Lin whispered back. Matt felt her presence leave and walk away, parting from him to search alone. Matt walked down the road, watching the shops go from small family owned stalls to larger more industrious workplaces. Matt searched the skyline for a tall structure, he knew flying would get him there faster, but no one else was in the air, and it might give him away.

Turning away from the shop-stalls Matt headed down another direction. The alley was empty but Matt crashed into something none-the-less. He regained his balance and looked around, thinking he missed something.

"Sorry," mumbled Hay Lin. Matt sighed.

"Good, it's just you, I thought-"

"I found something, you have to come check it out," Hay Lin said. Matt felt the invisible girl grab his forearm and pull him down the alley. He ran to make sure it did not look like someone was leading him, and followed Hay Lin a few blocks over.

"Look!" she exclaimed. The castle looked back at them as Matt saw at it. The building was circular and had a large balcony on the second story, overlooking the red hued town. The building was only four stories tall and had two towers, on the north and southern sides. The white stones reflected the sunlight and made the castle glow in comparison to its surrounding red neighbors.

"This is the castle, Will must have seen the town from the balcony," Hay Lin said, "on the far side of the castle I found something else too." She pulled Matt through four blocks of shops and turned again, the back of castle faced them.

"What do you think it is?" asked Hay Lin. A smaller building with towers on each of its sides sat against the wall of the castle. There were no shops of homes in this part of the city, just fences. The sides of the structure looked as though it were ready to be attacked.

"I think it's a barracks," Matt muttered. He flexed his wings and looked again. There was no roof on the building, just four walls, four towers, and a gate. The walls were only one story high, but they appeared to be almost thirty feet thick.

"So that's where they train the soldiers," Hay Lin said aloud, then she paused.

"_Hay Lin?" asked Taranee._

"_Yes, I'm here," Hay Lin responded._

"_Come back ok?" Taranee notified her friend._

"_We didn't find much," Hay Lin sighed._

"_It's ok, just come back," Taranee responded._

"Taranee says to go back," Hay Lin told Matt. He nodded in the opposite direction from where she was standing and they hurried back to the forest. Remembering the layout of the city, Matt brought the two of them back to the where the rest of the group sat waiting.

"So?" wondered Cornelia, "did you _learn_ anything?"

"We found the castle and a barracks," Hay Lin replied, becoming visible again, much to Matt's relief.

"The information we need can only found of a longer period of time," Caleb interrupted

"So?" asked Irma, "we have to keep coming back day after day?"

"Well, you could, or some of us could stay here and spy on them," Caleb suggested. He had obviously been cooking up this plan while Matt and Hay Lin had been gone.

"But I can't stay here, we still have school, and the holidays are coming!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"I can stay, but my parents would worry," Matt sighed.

"What if we come up with an excuse, like you joined a foreign exchange program and you'll be gone for a while," Taranee stated.

"Don't you need two people for something like that to work?" Cornelia questioned.

"We can tell your parents the other person dropped out, but you'll still be going!" Will smiled.

"My parents would buy it. My mom is always trying to get me to focus on my grades and not so much on music," Matt laughed.

"But just Matt?" asked Caleb.

"Well no one else can go, since they can't be invisible like Hay Lin, and no one else looks like Matt when he's like this," Irma said.

"Why, who were thinking of?" asked Cornelia, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Me," he stated.

"You?" asked the guardians at once.

"But you'd get caught the second you set foot in the town!" Will exclaimed.

"No I wouldn't," Caleb smiled.

"Where are you going with this?" asked Taranee.

"Matt can hide me," Caleb answered.

"How?" asked Hay Lin.

"With the same glamouring that Nerissa used to become Trill, and steal Elyon and her powers," Caleb explained.

"It might work," Will nodded, "want to give it a shot Matt?"

"Ok," Matt sighed. He pulled the power from his amassed surplus and sent it towards Caleb. A flash of blinding light illuminated the forest for a moment, blinding the girls. When they opened their eyes they saw two winged people standing before them. Caleb suddenly had dark grey wings attached to his body.

"It worked!" smiled Will.

"Great," frowned Cornelia, "but at least I can tell the difference between the two of them."

"Now what are you going to do with these disguises?" asked Taranee.

"We'll go to the barracks and get into the army. With Matt's power we're bound to be promoted enough until we're at the top. Then we'll be able to get close to that prince without him knowing the difference," smiled Caleb.

"Good plan, when can we meet you two again so you can tell us what's going on?" Will asked.

"How about… every two weeks… meet us here," Matt decided.

"Ok," Will nodded, "will that be too much time? Or won't it be enough?"

"It's fine," Caleb reassured her.

"Ok, see you boys in two weeks," Irma stated. They paused waiting for Will to make a fold home.

"Did you hear that?" asked Hay Lin.

"What did you hear?" asked Cornelia. Before the air guardian could answer, Blunk rushed through the bushes.

"Run girlies!" he exclaimed, disappearing through the foliage in the forest.

"Blunk wait!" called Will. Shouting voices echoed through the forest.

"We have to find Blunk!" Hay Lin called. Will ran in the direction the passling had been seen heading towards, and the others followed. Matt and Caleb stood still, not sure whether to follow or stay. Cornelia saw their dilemma.

"Chase us; you're on _their_ side now!" She ordered, rushing to find the others. Caleb and Matt looked at each other for a second, then took off, chasing the guardians through the woods.

Will stopped at a river and found Blunk, frantically trying to find a way across which did not involve swimming. The other guardians collided with their leader, forming a small pile on the ground.

"Hurry, get us home Will!" called Irma, pulling free from the others. Will gathered her breath, pulled out the heart, and opened a fold to Heatherfield. Cornelia stepped through it just as Caleb and Matt appeared from the forest. They rushed the fold, just in case someone was watching, but it closed just as they reached it. The boys stepped back from the river and heard hoof beats.

"Did you catch that thing?" asked a young man atop his mount. He reined his black horse over to them. He rode bareback, sitting just behind the horse's magnificent, black wings. The boy looked down at them.

"Do I know you two?" he asked.

"I don't think so, we just traveled up from the south to join your army, but got sidetracked when we saw these girls and a passling running away from something," Caleb explained, acting like he was truly on the other side.

"The girls were here!" the boy frowned, "and a what, a pass-thing?"

"I've heard they're called passlings, they supposedly can travel to other worlds by finding open spaces between time," explained Caleb, "why were you chasing these people?"

"That thing stole something of mine from my gardens," sighed the boy. He dismounted and walked over to them. The cape he wore covered his wings as he pulled it tighter. "But that doesn't matter, where did you two travel from, what are your names?" The boy smiled a genuine friendly smile, and offered his hand in greeting to both boys.

"We're from a small village in the south, we never knew it to have a name," lied Caleb, he paused and decided to use his real name, "I'm Caleb."

"I'm Matt," Matt replied. The boy looped his horse's reins over its neck and let it graze.

"But since we're not from around here, could you help us?" asked Caleb.

"Sure, anything. None of my soldiers would go off and chase after those random girls during their break, you two are something better," smiled the boy.

"_Your _soldiers?" asked Matt.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the boy apologized, "I'm Faris, I'm the prince here." The two boys gapped at Faris. He seemed an ok guy when you weren't being held hostage by him. Matt didn't expect him to look so normal after Will's story of being dragged to Rokador by him.

"You two said you wanted to join my army?" asked Faris.

"Yes," replied Matt.

"Great, you two would be great additions on my elite corps, or my personal guard," Faris smiled, grabbing his horse and motioning the boys to follow him as he walked into the forest, "We'll head back to the castle where you two can get your new things."

"Thanks," Caleb commented. The two boys followed the prince of Rokador into the woods and towards the castle.

* * *

Episode 13 is completed, up next is **Episode 14 (Mind Games)** Thanks everyone for all the great reviews! So far, I've had 713 hits on my story! I'm giving a special thanks to my reviewers who've encouraged me to keep wrighting; _Just another fanatic, Em Phantom, Lil chap welsh nd proud, KnightofFaerun, TaraneePheonix, donki-shouben, Ariana T., and Sokai_. All the reviews are great, keep them coming! 


	14. Mind Games

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

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**Episode 14 (Mind Games)**

The snow fell in large flakes, covering the streets and sidewalks faster than the snowplows could clear it away. School had just let out for the first day back since winter break ended. The students of Sheffield ran outside into the wintery wonderland as their classes ended for the day. The five girls of _witch_ gathered outside, and began their walk to the Silver Dragon.

"We're meeting the guys today," Will shivered. The wind blew stronger, sending the powdery snow crystals into the air and around the girls' shoes. They hurried into the restaurant and savored the warm atmosphere which engulfed them. They hurried down the stairs into the basement and sat down on the furniture.

"How do we know it's been two weeks?" asked Taranee, "the time in Rokador might be different then here."

"If they aren't there, Hay Lin will have to go and find them," Will responded. The girls piled their winter jackets, hats, mittens, and scarves onto the small table and waited. After Will had pulled off all her outerwear, she removed the heart from her neck. The other girls watched as she created a fold to Rokador. They peeked through the shimmering, red opening and glanced around. The red Rokadorian forest seemed the same as it had been when they left.

"They aren't here," Cornelia said, stating the obvious.

"Hay Lin, can you go and find them?" asked Will.

"Where would they be?" asked Hay Lin.

"Hopefully near the castle, or in the barracks with the other soldiers," Irma replied. Hay Lin nodded, stepped through the fold, and disappeared. The four others pulled their heads away from the fold, waiting for Hay Lin to return.

The invisible guardian of air, jogged towards the town. The weather was more humid then she remembered from her last visit, but anything was better than the biting winter wind in Heatherfield. She hurried past the shops and kept her eyes wide for any signs of Matt or Caleb. After a minute more of searching, she found the soldier's barracks, its gates open.

The guardian crept inside and scanned the scene. The open area in the center of the building was void of life. She walked through it and came to a small door. Checking the handle, she found it to be locked. Frowning and looking around, Hay Lin discovered this was the back entrance into the castle. An open window gazed down at her from the palace, only one story up from where she stood.

Smiling, Hay Lin leaped up and caught the edge of the windowsill. She pulled herself up, gazing back down at the ground, two stories below. If she had had her wings, she could have flown up, but since she could float on air without them, jumping had worked better than she had expected. Taking in her new surroundings, Hay Lin was awestruck at the grandiose room she found herself in.

Exiting the room, she ambled down the hallway, more than once becoming sidetracked and forgetting to search for the two boys. Luckily, one of her journeys down a hallway brought her luck. As she walked down the hallway, cloaked with invisibility, she heard a set of voices. At first she ducked behind a set of armor, waiting for the voices to pass. As she did, she saw Matt, and who she was sure to be Caleb.

"Guys!" whispered Hay Lin. The boys stopped and looked around, searching for the voice. Hitting her forehead with her palm, Hay Lin stepped out from behind the armor, checked to see if the hallway was clear and turned visible again for a moment. Both boys jumped backwards as she did, causing her to laugh.

"Hay Lin, you scared us!" frowned Matt.

"Why are you here?" asked Caleb, "it hasn't been two weeks yet."

"On Earth it has, anyway the others want to see you," Hay Lin smiled. She disappeared and walked down the hall. She turned around to see if the boys were keeping up, but saw that they hadn't moved.

"Come on!" Hay Lin called.

"We can't see you!" responded Matt.

"Just go to the forest where the fold is," Hay Lin scowled. She turned on her heel and strode down the hallway, hurrying through the door in the empty barracks. She picked up her speed and made her way back to the forest and through the fold. After she stepped through it, and into the basement of the Silver Dragon, she became visible.

"So?" asked Cornelia, "where are they?"

"They're coming," stated Hay Lin, breathing heavily. The girls waited for another five minutes before the two boys appeared through the fold. Caleb's disguise disappeared as Matt changed back into himself.

"Caleb!" smiled Cornelia, standing and giving him a hug. Will embraced Matt until Taranee spoke up.

"So, why weren't you guys in the forest?" she asked.

"You told us two weeks," replied Matt, "it's only been one."

"So time moves slower in Rokador?" asked Irma.

"I guess," shrugged Will, "did you two find anything? What happened after we left?"

"We were excepted into the Elite Corps, or Faris' person guard," Caleb replied.

"That's perfect!" smiled Irma, "what did you find out?"

"Faris definitely is the prince of Rokador," Caleb started, "And he just turned eighteen this summer."

"Wow," muttered Taranee, "he rules his country as an eighteen-year-old?"

"Elyon rules Meridian as a fifteen-year-old," Cornelia reminded them.

"Oh yeah," sighed Taranee.

"We've heard rumors that he's getting his information about his new attack plans for earth from who the other soldiers call a mysterious regent. We've heard she only comes every once and while, and he does everything she asks," Matt said, "Any guesses on who it might be?"

"Nerissa," frowned Will.

"That's our guess too," Caleb responded, "When we were talking to him, he also told us he plans to invade sometime during July."

"July here, or July there?" smiled Irma.

"Here," Matt said. The girls nodded.

"Did he say _how_ he was going to attack?" asked Taranee.

"We asked, but he said it hadn't been decided yet," Caleb answered.

"Or he hasn't been told yet," said Will. After another set of hugs, Matt changed both Caleb and himself into their winged forms, and traveled back to Rokador. The red light vanished with the fold, leaving the girls of _witch_ alone in the basement.

"If Nerissa's not telling them how to attack, how does she know if they'll be able to do what she wants?" asked Cornelia.

"Maybe she doesn't know what to do," Taranee thought suddenly.

"Or maybe she does, but her plans aren't working," Hay Lin added. The girls fell silent and gazed around the room. Cornelia yawned and stood up, gathering her things from the pile they had made on their makeshift table.

The three others followed the blond guardian's lead and bid farewell to Hay Lin as she disappeared into the kitchen. Outside the wind had calmed and the snow had stopped falling. Will and Irma walked down the street to the Vandom household and hid inside.

"Thanks for coming with me," smiled Will, "I don't know if I can stand another moment with Nerissa on my own."

"No problem," grinned Irma, sitting on the in front of the silent TV. Will ambled down the hall, peeking in each of the rooms and under the furniture. When she came back into the room she searched under the two chairs and was about to look under the sofa Irma was sitting on when Irma asked, "Did you lose something?" Will stopped short of checking the dust under the couch and stood up.

"I'm just checking to see if Nerissa's here," sighed Will, "but it seems like she's gone again."

"She's just a cat. Why don't you tell your mom to just get rid of her?" Irma asked.

"My mom loves her, as a cat I mean," Will sighed, "Whatever, do you want tea?"

"Sure," Irma replied, "here let me help you." The two girls worked in the kitchen, setting the water and teabags over the stove and turning the stove on. After a few minutes of staring out at the snow which had started to fall again, the tea kettle started screaming, making both girls jump out of their chairs.

Will poured two cups of the freshly, brewed tea, setting one in front of Irma and one where she was sitting. The two girls slowly drank the hot flavored water, discussing how unfair the last history test they had taken was. After an hour, all the tea had been drunk and Will collected up the cups and placed them in the sink.

Irma watched Will for a moment but turned as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over to the couch, Irma saw two golden eyes looking into her own teal ones. Before she could say a word to Will, Irma heard a voice speak in her head. Her brain was not processing the voice as it should have been, and her body was not responding to her attempts to move.

"_Will!" Irma screamed._ Will was still washing the dishes, as if she hadn't heard anything. Irma fell mentally silent as the voice pierced through her mind. _Get out of my head! I don't want to hear your lies again! Get out!_ Irma struggled to keep her thoughts straight, her memory remembered when she had heard this voice before, but it wasn't making any more sense now, then it had then before. She fell silent again and heard the voice speaking to her.

"Irma?" asked Will. The redhead snapped her fingers in front of the water guardian's face. Irma blinked her teal eyes and looked up at Will. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm just tired," Irma said, she put on a fake smile and added, "I'd better go home."

"See you tomorrow," Will called. Irma grabbed her coat and left Will's house, walking down the sidewalk towards her own.

"I know I've heard that voice, but where?" Irma asked herself aloud. She wondered what Will had felt when she saw her staring off into the living room. Irma shoved her hands into her coat pockets and walked down the street. Opening her front door, Irma remembered what the voice had told her. _You are only endangering your friends by being with them. You are the one I need, not them. If you want to save them, stay away from them._

Irma walked into her room, the shock of her realization still washing over her like a cold wave at the beach. The thought of staying away from the other girls was inconceivable, let alone do-able. Collapsing on the bed in her room, Irma closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and find a solution.

**---­ ---**

The moonlight filtered into the room and illuminated the blades on a pair of white ice-skates, hanging from the wall. The sleeping guardian stirred in her bed. Mumbling something incoherent, she rolled over and tugged her sheets higher.

_Cornelia walked down the halls at school. Everything was normal as she got her lunch out of her locker and made her way into the cafeteria. The other four girls were sitting at their normal table talking. As Cornelia walked over and sat down, they quieted and watched her. _

"_Hey guys," smiled Cornelia._

"_What do you want Corny?" sneered Irma._

"_Yeah, didn't you get the message?" asked Will._

"_What?" questioned Cornelia._

"_We don't want to be around you anymore," Irma frowned. _

"_What! This is crazy!" Cornelia shouted. The girls all stood up and walked off, leaving their trays full of food behind. Irma picked up her bowl of soup up, and spilled it over Cornelia's head, laughing._

"_Sorry," lied Irma, "I must have tripped." The girls laughed and walked off, Cornelia could still hear their thoughts as they moved out of sight though._

"_Can you believe her-"_

"_She thinks she's so perfect-"_

"_How were we ever friends?"_

"_If she sits with us again I'll-"_

"_NO!" thought Cornelia. Tears escaped from her eyes as she ran from the table. The school melted away, she found herself floating in blackness. _

"_Your friends don't care for you Cornelia," laughed a voice in the darkness._

"_Who are you!" shouted Cornelia, wiping the tears from her eyes._

"_Your so called friends hate you; this is your future if you stay with them. Keep away from the others Cornelia, save yourself the humiliation!"_

Sitting up in her bed, Cornelia untangled her sheets from around herself and took a calming breath. _They would never do that, it was just a dream_, she reassured herself. Climbing out of her bed, the guardian of earth checked her clock, it was still early. The moon was still awake in the sky, as Cornelia left her room and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water. _It was just a dream_, she repeated in her mind.

_You want to bet on it?_ Asked a voice from her head; Cornelia turned and looked around her kitchen.

"Hello?" she asked. No one answered her. Cornelia took several deep breathes, trying to calm herself. It didn't work as well as she hoped. As she went back to bed, her mind was plagued with dreams of betrayal.

**--- ---**

"Have you seen Irma today?" asked Will.

"No," Taranee replied, "I haven't seen Cornelia either."

"They'll be at lunch," smiled Hay Lin. The three guardians ambled into the lunchroom and sat down at their table. They glanced around the cafeteria wondering where the other two girls where. After ten minutes of eating their lunches and searching the room, Taranee spotted Irma sitting at another table across the room, all alone. The three girls wondered why she was all alone at the table. They still hadn't found Cornelia.

"Look, there's Martin!" pointed Hay Lin. Taranee noticed Martin walking over to Irma with his lunch and sat down next to her. The girls expected her to blow up, and shout at him for getting within three feet of her, but she turned and smiled at him.

"Who is that, and what did she do to our Irma?" asked Will.

"Yeah, Irma would never do that," Hay Lin added.

"Something's wrong," Taranee frowned. The bell rang and the three girls got to their feet. Will and Taranee started walking to the door but stopped when they saw Hay Lin was walking towards Irma's table.

"Hay Lin," called Taranee. The girl continued to walk towards Irma, making Taranee and Will run over and follow her. When they reached the table, Irma and Martin were just getting up, about to leave the lunchroom.

"Irma, why didn't you sit with us today?" asked Hay Lin. Irma glanced at Hay Lin for just a moment, but then turned away and ignored her completely. Martin followed her out of the cafeteria like a lost puppy, and they disappeared around a corner.

"Wow," Taranee said, "Irma's never done that before."

"Come on, we have to get to class," sighed Will, grabbing Hay Lin's arm and pulling her out the door.

"I wonder where Cornelia is?" questioned Taranee. The three girls hurried off to their classes as the final bell rang throughout the school.

**--- ---**

"Do you think anyone will notice we've been gone?" asked Matt. The two boys walked back to the castle as the sun began it's slow decent beyond the horizon. The shops in town were closing up for the night and the few villagers moved aside so the two boys could get through.

"No, we've only been gone a few hours," Caleb said, judging the time, "Maybe more with that fight that broke out that we got stuck in." Matt chuckled and entered the castle through the door within the barracks. The two boys had learned that normal army-men slept in this small fortified building, while members of the Elite Corps were permitted to stay in the castle, to be closer if the prince needed help.

Matt and Caleb climbed a set of stairs hidden behind a tapestry of a battle and a suit of armor, ascending to the second story of the castle and to the dormitory where the prince's guard stayed. On their way they passed a slightly open door. Matt made to close it, but stopped when he heard talking from within.

"Caleb," whispered Matt, beckoning him closer. Caleb approached the door, and they both listened in on the conversation being held within. "It's Faris."

"And Nerissa," Caleb frowned. They pressed their ears closer to the opening, and silenced their breathing.

"Nerissa, how has your search gone on Earth?" asked Faris. Matt saw the boy pacing back and forth in front of Nerissa. She smiled and responded.

"My search is going well, Faris. You needn't worry. Two of the girls have already been separated from the others. Your soldiers can capture them soon, while they remain out of touch with their friends."

"I don't understand how these five girls can interfere with my plans to conquer the Earth," Faris said. He collapsed into his chair and held his head in his hands. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Don't worry; the guardians will soon be a nonissue," smiled Nerissa.

"But how?" questioned Faris, "how do I know I can trust you, you haven't told me anything about your plans! I'm supposed to be conquering Earth."

"You wouldn't understand them," hissed Nerissa.

"Try me," Faris shot back. Caleb and Matt looked at each other for a moment, thinking the same thing, and then turned back to continue their eavesdropping.

"How are you taking care of the-" Faris said, pausing on the new word, "the guardians?"

"By getting inside their minds," laughed Nerissa. Faris nodded, smiling in agreement. The room fell silent as the two people inside walked out a door at the far end of the room. Caleb and Matt stood up and walked down the hallway as if nothing had happened.

"Will's not gonna like this," sighed Matt.

* * *

Episode 14 done! Up next is **Episode 15 (The Last Guardian)** Thanks for all your support readers! I'm more than halfway done with the story now. Remember to send me reviews, thank you! 


	15. The Last Guardian

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

* * *

**Episode 15 (The Last Guardian)**

Crunching through the snow which had frozen on the sidewalk, Irma trudged home. Today had been awful; she had hated abandoning her friends. Silently wondering who had warned her of the incoming danger, she pulled her coat tighter around herself and walked on. Seeing the lights off in her house, she remembered her parents would be late coming home today, and that she'd have to watch Chris. She released a deep sigh, and walked past the snow, covered fire hydrant at the corner of the street, where a set of bushes ended and opened into her neighbor's yard.

"Got you!" exclaimed two voices. Irma spun around and ducked, avoiding the first man's arms that closed around the air above her. The second man grabbed for her, but she backed up more and tripped over the fire hydrant, getting snow in her jacket. Irma looked at her attackers for a moment, and saw they had wings on their backs.

"Have some water, bird brains!" shouted Irma. She swung her arm over the hydrant and it shot up in the air. The water jetted out of the hole in the ground. Directed by Irma, it flew straight at the two Rokadorians. They were swept backwards into the wooden fence as the water guardian ran across the street. She heard the two winged people sprint after her as she scurried through her grass.

Suddenly tasting dirt in her mouth, Irma felt a crushing weight on her back and tried to get free. Her attempts were useless, she couldn't move. Looking up, she saw a red fold appear out of nowhere in front of her. Wondering how it got there, she was picked up and pulled through it, disappearing into the red planet.

**--- ---**

Cornelia sat on her bed, thinking of her friends that day at school. She silently wondered why they suddenly hated her. She knew Will had never truly gotten along with her, but Hay Lin and Taranee had. She remembered how Irma had avoided the girls today as well as she had; Cornelia wondered what had made her do so. _Could the guardians be falling apart?_ Cornelia sighed and decided that the next day in school she would ask the girls if this was really happening, but just to be safe, she set out one of her older, more easily cleanable outfits.

Climbing into bed, Cornelia clicked her lamp off and pulled the covers over her head. Her parents and Lillian had already gone to sleep while Cornelia had paced around her room in thought. A shadow moved outside her window, causing Cornelia to stir. The glass, balcony door slid open slightly, and caught on the lock, banging against the metal. The noise woke the semiconscious guardian. She jumped out of bed and peered into her living room. Silencing her gasp, Cornelia watched as the shadow disappeared and searched for another way inside.

She walked over to the door, unlocked it, and paused when she heard a yawn from the couch. Frowning and looking back, Cornelia saw Napoleon stretching and getting to his feet, leaping off the couch.

"Napoleon, you scared me," hissed the blond guardian. Napoleon yawned and shrugged; he turned tail and jumped up onto the armchair. Creeping outside, Cornelia searched her balcony for the shadow. She walked to the railing, looking up the tree branches and down at the sidewalk. Smiling to herself that the threat was gone, she spun around and walked back towards the door. Blocking her entrance was a winged warrior, the same shadow which had past her window before.

"What do you want?" commanded Cornelia. Her bare feet were starting to turn numb as they stood on the frozen tiles of the balcony. The creature didn't answer. He dove for her, but she stepped out of her reach and called to the tree for assistance. The branch she called dove after the man, he ran towards the glass door and the branch followed. Sidestepping, trying to avoid the tree, he ducked the branch and it crashed through the glass. Wide eyed, Cornelia pulled back the tree limb and looked at the door. She felt arms close around her middle, catching her own arms in the tight, unwanted embrace. She struggled to free herself.

"Let me go!" screamed Cornelia. Her parents would already be awake with the crashing glass, and she really did not want to be blamed for the broken window without a reason. The man pulled her backwards off the balcony, using his wings as a parachute. Wiggling and trying to get free, Cornelia saw Napoleon pacing on the balcony railing, trying to get down to her. A bright light flashed behind her, she saw the red fold out of the corner of her eye and kicked again, trying to escape before he pulled her into it.

Napoleon watched the guardian as she was pulled into the shimmering fold and disappeared. He hung his head, wondering what he would have to tell Lillian when she discovered her sister was gone, and the glass on the door was shattered. Padding inside around the shattered glass, he leaped onto the table and waited for Cornelia's parents to wake up.

**--- ---**

"This is weird," Taranee commented, "where are Cornelia and Irma?" The three girls sat in the lunchroom at their table. The table was strangely empty without the other two girls. They missed Irma's constant jokes about unfair tests, and asking if they were going to eat their desserts. Cornelia would have been complaining about her life just as the bell rang, but at least they would have known where she was.

"Maybe they're still avoiding us," sighed Hay Lin.

"What did we do?" asked Will. Taranee shrugged. None of the three girls had seen either of the missing guardians since the day before.

"Maybe they stayed home today," suggested Hay Lin.

"Both of them?" Taranee questioned, "What if something's wrong?"

"Something's always wrong, isn't it," sighed Will. She poked her food on her plate and stared up at the ceiling. The lights were off today, the windows let in enough light. The three girls watched Martin pass their table and sit down at the one Irma had found yesterday.

"Hay Lin!" The girl turned around and saw no one.

"Did you guys hear that?" asked Hay Lin.

"Hear what?" asked Will, spinning her fork so the noodles wrapped around it.

"Someone called me," Hay Lin replied. She stood up and dumped her empty plate in the trash can. "I'll be right back."

"Hurry, the bell's gonna ring in a few minutes!" called Taranee. Hay Lin nodded and bounced outside. She knew she had heard someone calling her name. The courtyard behind the school had been shoveled free of snow, so no one would see her foot prints as she walked through it.

"Hay Lin!" called the voice again.

"Who is it?" asked the girl. She looked around the courtyard and saw a shadow move out from behind a tree. Hay Lin stared at it, mouth hanging open in shock. "What do you want?" The figure strode across the courtyard, closer and closer to where Hay Lin was standing. "Stop!"

Whipping her wrists around, a gust of frigid air swept down from the sky at the person. He braced for impact, trying to fight the wind, but his grey wings got caught in the breeze and he was sent tumbling backwards. Hay Lin leaped into the air and spun. The air followed the twists her body made, and broke away from her as a small tornado.

The man rolled sideways to avoid the twister, but was caught up in it as it followed him. Hay Lin watched the man spin around the funnel like a towel in a dryer, smiling to herself. She was caught off guard as another Rokadorian ran in from the side of the school and tackled her to the ground.

"_Taranee! Will! Help Me!" she cried._

---

"Will," Taranee spoke, "Hay Lin's in trouble!" The two girls stood up, ran out of the lunchroom, and looked around. They both wondered where she had gone, and instantly knew she had gone outside. Opening the door, the two girls searched the back courtyard for her.

"Maybe she wasn't here," sighed Will, checking the pavement for her shoeprints.

"But where did she go then?" asked Taranee. Will shrugged; the bell rang and the courtyard filled with other students going to class. Taranee and Will sighed, picked up their things, and walked to their classes wondering where Hay Lin had gone. They telepathically came up with ideas and shared them with each other even though they were classes apart.

After school ended Taranee meet up with Will to walk home. The snow had starting falling again, covering the clean streets in a white blanket of coldness. The two girls hadn't been able to come up with a sensible conclusion as to why Cornelia and Irma were avoiding them, and why they had taken it so far as to stay home. As to Hay Lin's disappearance, they knew immediately to classify it under guardians.

"Do you think she might have been captured by Faris?" asked Taranee.

"Why would he take her?" asked Will, "why not all of us?"

"What if he did?!" Taranee asked suddenly, "maybe he's why Irma and Cornelia aren't here!" Will thought about what Taranee had just said.

"But that means we could be next," she stated. Taranee nodded. When they came to the park, Taranee walked left and Will turned right, each telling the other to be careful and to call if they were in trouble.

Walking down her block, Taranee cut behind her neighbor's backyard and walked in through the back door of her house. Locking the door behind her, Taranee checked the front windows and saw she had been correct. Hiding behind the snow-covered shrubs in her front yard, a man with black wings crouched ankle deep in the powdery snow, waiting.

"_Will?" asked Taranee._

"_Yeah, what's wrong?" came Will's voice._

"_Nothing, I'm just wondering if you got home alright," Taranee stated._

"_I'm safe at home, and you?" Will asked._

"_Same," Taranee replied._ She leaned against the front window, immediately regretting her actions. The man outside had seen her movements; he rushed at the window. It shattered, glass shards flew everywhere, causing the alarm on the house to start ringing. Glasses flaming, Taranee ducked behind an armchair and blasted a fireball at her attacker. Avoiding the flaming projectile, he sprung forward, arms outstretched, hoping to catch the guardian.

Retreating from the room, Taranee backed into the hallway. Sending more fire blasts at the soldier, her eyes widened in surprise. One of her three attacks hit the man, but he brushed away the burning feathers and ran forward. Too shocked to react, Taranee tried one last time to stop him, but failed and ended up hurrying from the room. As she attempted to escape, she crashed into another winged warrior and struggled to get free.

She spun around in his grip, seeing snowflakes start to blow into the house through the broken window. Her vision was blurred as she was pulled into a fold; her last views of earth were flashing red and blue lights stopping in front of her house.

**--- ---**

Putting her things away in her locker, Will grabbed her lunch and headed to the cafeteria. None of the other girls had met with her before school that morning. As the first bell rang, starting classes, Will had a sinking suspicion that the other girls, aside from Hay Lin, had finally grown sick of her and ditched school to stop her from being around them. The thought quickly overcame her that Heatherfield girls were just like those in Fadden Hills, but she brushed it aside. _This is different_, she told herself sternly, but other than Hay Lin's mysterious disappearance, she couldn't completely rid herself of the idea.

Walking into the lunch room, Will scanned the tables. None of the other girls had graced the room with their presence, Will let out a frustrated sigh. Walking through the doors into the courtyard, she leaned against a bench at the side of the building.

"Will!" The redhead turned in the direction of the voice, but saw no one.

"Where are you?" asked Will.

"Down here," said the frustrated voice. Will looked down the ground between her feet and watched as Napoleon jumped into her lap.

"Napoleon, what if someone hears you?" whispered Will. The cat reared up and placed his forepaws on Will's shoulders, looking eye to eye with her.

"Will, Cornelia was kidnapped," the cat hissed.

"What!" exclaimed Will. She stood and knocked Napoleon to the ground. He flipped over and landed on his feet.

"Sorry," Will said, she knelt on the ground next to him, "when, by who?"

"Two nights ago," Napoleon stated, "two people with wings attacked her and took her through a red fold."

"Why didn't you find me sooner?" asked Will.

"I couldn't get out of the house," Napoleon stated matter of factly, "Lillian didn't let me out of her sight after the police came and found her sister gone." Will sighed; exasperated by the news she was listening to.

"Where are the others?" asked Napoleon, he thought Will had taken the news rather well.

"I don't know," Will said, "Hay Lin disappeared, Taranee and Irma aren't in school, and now I hear Cornelia's been kidnapped!"

Napoleon darted under a bush as a door to the cafeteria opened. Out bounced Elyon's friend, Alchemy, searching the courtyard. She spotted Will and walked over.

"Will, Mrs. Knickerbocker is looking for you," she said.

"Really, did she say why?" Will asked.

"No, she just said to met her in her office," stated Alchemy.

"Thanks," sighed Will. The two girls stood and walked back into the cafeteria. Will watched Alchemy walk back to her table and sit down with her friends. Exiting the noisy room, Will entered the hallway, and journeyed to the principal's office. Walking into the room, Will was greeted by her principal.

"Will, please sit down," the old lady said. Will sat on the chair facing her desk, twiddling her fingers.

"Um, Mrs. Knickerbocker," Will mumbled, "why did you call me down?"

"The police, I mean, detectives Mdean and Mcteenin wanted to talk to you, I'll go tell them you're here," Mrs. Knickbocker explained. She walked to the door, opened it, and called them into the hallway. She left as the two detectives who had questioned her about Elyon entered the room.

"Will," questioned detective Mdean, "do you know anything about the disappearances of Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, Hay Lin, or Irma Lair?"

"Taranee and Irma are missing too?" Will asked. She suddenly realized her mistake.

"So, you knew about two of the girls going missing?" asked Mcteenin, standing up and frowning at her.

"Well, I-" stuttered Will.

"Yes or no?" questioned Mdean.

"Can you repeat the question?" Will frowned.

"Did you, or did you not, know that any of these girls were missing before this moment?" clarified Mcteenin.

"I thought they were just ditching school!" Will lied. Up until a few minutes ago, she _had_ thought this to be the truth, but not anymore.

"Hmm. Do you know who might have taken them; they are your friends as I'm told," stated Mcteenin.

"I don't know," Will lied.

"Are you sure?" questioned Mdean, "we wouldn't want to find out you've been lying to us, and have to come and find you again."

"Why don't you believe me?" shouted Will, "we told you Elyon was fine, and you didn't believe us. Then you saw her alive and well at the airport, just like we said. Why don't you believe me what I'm telling you? I don't know what happened!" Will turned away from the detectives and crossed her arms in front of her chest. A small spark of electricity jumped across her hair as she blew it out of her eyes.

"You can leave," sighed detective Mcteenin. Will stood and walked through the door into the hallway.

"Do you think she was telling the truth?" asked Mdean.

"She did have a point about before," Mcteenin sighed.

"But she also wasn't surprised about the two girls being missing; Cornelia and Hay Lin," added Mdean.

"There's always tomorrow," suggested Mcteenin.

--- ---

Will sat in her history class. Her mind was not concentrating on the Hundred Years War and France, but instead it was focusing on Rokador and Faris. _Why would he take all the other guardians? Am I next?_ Will had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew she had to think of some way to save them.

"_Taranee?"_ _asked Will._ She knew her chances of reaching her were low, but she tried anyway, calling out to Taranee's mental line. Frustrated when she couldn not reach her, Will rested her head on her hand, watching her teacher write notes of the board that should be getting copied into her notebook. She wondered where her friends were, and how she was ever going to find them.

* * *

Episode 15 done! Up next is **Episode 16 (The Final Piece) **The detectives are the ones from the show, from _c is for changes_. I might not have spelled their names right though, and I really don't care… will Will be able to handle the pressure of being by herself? What is the fate of the other girls? The next episodes will reveal these secrets and more… Read and Review! 


	16. The Final Piece

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

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**Episode 16 (The Final Piece)**

The red sun rose from beyond the horizon, filling the room with soft, ruby tinted light. Black and grey feathers ruffled, sets of blue and green eyes opened. Matt and Caleb awoke with the other members of their room, yawning and stumbling out of their beds. Pinned to the door was a notice which one of the Rokadorians read aloud to the room.

"Attention," he read, "all soldiers will report to the west castle grounds for flight training, as part of the new attack plan for our next upcoming battle. Meet at noon after lunch." Caleb turned to Matt, inclining his head towards the door. The two boys walked out of the room, closing the door.

"New attack plan?" asked Caleb.

"I thought the Rokadorian army didn't fly," said Matt.

"They do now," Caleb added. The two boys silenced their conversation as the other six members of their room walked out.

"The back of the paper said for the Elites to meet as soon as we could, come on," called the same man who had read the directions off the announcement. Matt and Caleb followed the others down the flight of concealed stairs and through the castle, heading west. The air in Rokador was starting to become moist and humid, but not unbearably so. The castle had been designed to keep the coolness in, even when someone was standing on a higher story.

"Did you guys hear anything a few nights back?" asked the youngest member of the room besides Matt and Caleb.

"No, what did you hear Orn?" asked the boy's friend.

"Two nights ago after all of you had gone to sleep; I heard some noise from the balcony. Since I was up anyway, I walked over to make sure no one was trying to break into the castle," Orn explained, "one of those red, shiny ovals disappeared as I looked around the corner, and saw one of the guards was struggling with a girl. She was putting up a good fight too; she might have gotten free if she could have seen through all her hair."

"A girl?" laughed another man from the room, his smoky, grey wings shook with the force.

"What did she look like?" asked Matt. Caleb listened as intently as Matt was, wondering whether or not it was one of the guardians. They walked out of the castle and over to the field where another bunch of soldiers stood waiting.

"It was dark out," stated Orn, "there was no moon out that night, and I couldn't see her too well, but I told you, she had long hair and was fighting with the guard" They walked over to the others and saw Faris standing to the side, waiting.

"Did she have wings?" asked Caleb. The other soldiers glanced at him, laughing as they halted at the front of the others.

"Not have wings? Are you crazy, what kind of creature doesn't have wings?" asked Orn's friend.

"Humans don't have wings," Faris stated, "which is why I am holding this practice." The boys' room's conversation ended, and they fell silent as Faris spoke to the group.

"Since I know none of you like to fly, and are not very good at it, we will start with an easy exercise. Fly from here to the South tower of the castle and back, it'll only take a minute or two," Faris explained, "You will go in groups of two. Matt and Orn, you'll go first." Nodding to Faris, the two boys opened their wings and took flight. The whirlwind of their upward strokes ruffled the other soldier's hair, bending the grasses beneath their feet. When they were halfway to the tower, Faris called the next group.

"Lew and Caleb," the prince announced. Caleb stretched his wings and leaped into the air. As his partner gained height, Caleb fell back to earth, losing his balance and something more important, his disguise. Getting to his feet, Caleb saw the people around him all held astonished looks on their faces. It took Faris a moment to register what had happened.

"Get him!" ordered Faris. He spoke with as much surprise as he did authority. Noticing he was wingless again, Caleb saw the closest soldiers dive for him, pinning him to the ground. Caleb searched for a way to get free, but he found none. Faris paced in front of him, contemplating this new development.

"Follow me," Faris told the two Rokadorians holding Caleb on the ground, "Practice is adjourned, we will continue tonight." The Prince of Rokador strode towards his castle; the two soldiers pulled Caleb along behind him. Frowning, Caleb remembered a similar situation in Meridian when he had met Phobos, and was thrown into the dungeon.

Traveling into the castle, Faris led the party into the same room where Caleb and Matt had eavesdropped on him before. The prince dismissed the two soldiers and turned on Caleb. Standing and meeting the prince eye to eye, a blinding light filled the room. A red fold appeared and vanished, leaving in its place the last person both boys wanted to see.

"Nerissa," chorused both Caleb and Faris. The prince turned to Caleb, eyeing him quizzically. Nerissa walked over to the two of them, grinning.

"Caleb," sighed Nerissa, "always getting caught?"

"How do you know him?" questioned Faris, "Why is he here?"

"I have no idea why he is here, but I have a guess," Nerissa frowned. Fairs waited for her to answer, but she remained silent, making Caleb feel slightly awkward at the whole situation.

"I need to go," Nerissa finally stated.

"But wait, you just got here!" Faris exclaimed, "and you didn't tell me how or-"

"You wouldn't understand, even _if_ I told you," shouted Nerissa. She turned her back to the two boys and opened another fold. Stepping through it, she vanished, leaving Faris furious.

"Guards!" he shouted. The two soldiers, who had escorted Caleb into the room, reentered it. They grabbed Caleb who was too confused to understand what was going on to even make a move to fight back. "Take him to the dungeons," Faris frowned, "and keep him away from the girls."

"The girls?!" Caleb shouted as he was pulled from the room. He ripped his arms free of the other men's grips and ran to Faris, "What do you want with them?!" He paused, remembering Orn's words just an hour before. "Where did you take Cornelia?" he shouted. Caleb was once again grabbed and hauled away from Faris. The two guards shut the door as they left, leaving the prince of Rokador alone.

"Cornelia?" he muttered to himself, "he must know the girls as well as Nerissa, but how, and why?" He paced his meeting room, alone in his thoughts. _How do Caleb and Nerissa know each other? Why was Caleb here in disguise? How was he in disguise? Does his friend, Matt, have anything to do with this? How do the girls fit into the picture? Why did Nerissa not tell me anything and just leave?_ Sighing, he wondered when he would learn the answers to his questions. He knew he would have to ask Nerissa for the information he wanted, but was unsure she would be willing to fill him in. Even her plans about the aftermath of the battle seemed unplanned, yet Nerissa knew more about Earth, so he had not dared to add his own opinions.

--- ---

The phone rang for the fifth time in the last half an hour. Throwing a pillow over her head to try and block out the noise, Will collapsed on her bed. Her mother had made her answer the first call, which Will did. After she had walked out the door to go shopping though, Will had slammed the phone against the receiver. Ignoring a ringing phone was harder then it looked, so Will had disconnected the one in her room. The phone in the kitchen continued to chime, but Will made no move to retrieve it, and talk to the two detectives.

The phone stopped buzzing a minute later, Will relaxed and looked out her window at the setting sun. Suddenly, the window was filled with a brown creature, looking in through the glass, making Will jump back. Calming her breathing, Will turned her back on the cat and sat down on her bed. Once Mel knew Will would not let her in, her lips parted and the window rose on its own accord. The chocolate brown cat leapt through the window and up onto Will's bed. Snowflakes rushed into the room. Will closed the window, frowning at the cat through narrowed eyes.

"What do you want?" Will frowned.

"I live here, remember?" smiled Mel. Nerissa's voice dropped its light tone and the cat frowned, "Your plan to spy on the Prince was…. faulty at best." Will blinked; she watched the cat jump from the bed and climb onto her desk, only inches from where she was leaning against her wall.

"What? We didn't…. Wait, how did you know?" Will questioned. The cat smiled.

"Your boyfriend's glamouring power was weak, Caleb was found out," Nerissa's voice laughed.

"Matt is not weak!" shouted Will, "where are they?"

"Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you," grinned Mel. A spark of electricity leaped across Will's hair.

"How do you know then?" asked Will. The cat didn't answer. Mel turned away and walked across Will's desk, her tail sweeping over a picture of the other girls and Will. A light bulb flashed over Will's head, she knew where Mel kept disappearing too.

"You where there!" Will exclaimed, "You saw them find Caleb because that's where you keep disappearing to, Rokador!"

"And I thought you weren't very smart," sighed Mel, "But it was bad idea, they were going to be found out sooner or later."

"It wasn't _my _idea," replied Will.

"But it was," laughed Mel. The cat slipped down and sat on Will's computer chair.

"But I didn't come up with it-" Will explained.

"You're the leader, you said ok," smiled Mel, "it doesn't matter who thought it up. It's… Your… Fault…"

"No it's not!" screamed Will. Mel pressed her ears against her head to block out Will's voice. She watched another spark jump across the girl's hair, as the keeper of the heart fumed, and paced back and forth.

"I never wanted this," said Will, her tone calm. She seemed to forget that she was venting to a cat that just happened to be her enemy. Mel softened her look and pretended like she understood, her plan was working perfectly.

"Being a guardian, having the Heart of Candracar," Will continued, her voice cracked slightly, her brown eyes glistened with unshed tears "it's too much. And now my friends and Matt and Caleb are in danger because of me. This would have never happened if I had just said no to Yan Lin when she told us."

Mel jumped off the chair and padded over to Will. Sitting at the guardian's feet, she looked up at Will's face. The guardian's eyes were closed, holding back tears she refused to let free.

"You can still help them," purred Mel. Will remained silent, opening her eyes and looking down at her cat. "You can give up the heart, and they will _all_ be safe." Will stepped over to her bed and sat down, Mel followed her.

"So?" grinned Mel, a tone of impatience in her voice.

"I can't," Will replied. The cat frowned. Will sat up straighter and her lamp turned on. "You know where the others are?! Wait, you're the one who told Faris to capture them!" Will stood up and paced the room. Mel frowned; she had been so close to getting the heart from Will.

"Wait, if you told Faris to capture them, you knew that together we could defeat him. You made Irma and Cornelia avoid us!" Will figured.

"I underestimated you," sighed Mel, she narrowed her golden eyes at the pacing guardian, and twitched her striped tail.

"If that was your doing, then at camp, you got in everyone's minds too! That's why they kept arguing with me and Taranee," Will stated.

"If only you two would have stared out the window as well," Mel smiled, "it would have all ended there." Will spun her computer chair towards her and took a seat on it. Resting her chin on her hand, she wondered why. Silence passed and Mel relaxed, the extent of the keeper's knowledge had passed.

"You were trying to break us up!" exclaimed Will, leaping up from her chair. Mel frowned and ground her teeth together. Will jumped over to her door and walked out into the kitchen. Her excitement was short lived as Mel leaped up onto the counter, locking her golden eyes onto Will's brown ones.

"Your friends don't stand a chance at getting free, unless you hand over the Heart of Candracar," Mel hissed.

"No, you'll never get the heart!" Will exclaimed. Mel hissed, her white teeth snapped at Will. Leaping at the guardian, Mel flew through the air. Will reached out and blocked the cat's claws from contacting her body, shoving her aside. Rushing to the living room, Will watched Mel bound after her, the red crystal swinging around her neck. Will avoided another attack and tripped over her backpack on the floor, falling onto the coffee table near the TV.

"Get off!" cried Will as she felt Mel's claws dig into her left hand. The cat clung tighter as Will tried to pry her off. She flung her hand backwards, sending Mel into the wall. A loud thud was heard as the cat's body made contact with the off-white, painted wall. In the hallway, Will heard hurried footsteps. The lock on the door clicked, and Susan Vandom stepped inside. She glanced around the room, seeing Will in the middle of the room and Mel struggling to get to her feet by the wall.

"Will!" exclaimed her mother.

"But she started it, that cat attacked me!" Will exclaimed.

"Animals don't attack for no reason, you probably annoyed her! Now go to your room. If I ever catch you hurting Mel again you'll be grounded!" ordered Susan.

"But mom!" Will cried, "look what she did!" Will held up her left hand, so her mother could see it. The three deep cuts from Mel's claws had already started to pool Will's blood. The scratches ran longer then she previous injury, traveling from her elbow all the way down to the middle of her palm.

"Will," sighed her mother, "let's get a bandage." Will followed her mother into the bathroom where the medical supplies were kept. Wrapping a similar bandage to the one surrounding her right hand onto her left one, Mrs. Vandom sighed again.

"Will," she said, "why can't I leave you alone for thirty minutes without anything happening?"

"But, the cat started it," Will said again.

"I doubt it," smiled Susan, "why don't you like Melissa?" She tied the bandage around her daughter's wrist and paused.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Will said under her breath. The two left the bathroom, Susan to start dinner, Will to head to her room. She locked the door, and smiled when she realized she had locked Mel out.

--- ---

Will sat alone at her lunch table, watching the other students laugh and eat with their friends. All day, the others had asked her where Cornelia, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin had disappeared to. Will had told the students that the girls were all sick with chickenpox, and that they wouldn't be back for a while. Obviously the police had kept their disappearances on the down-low, or else everyone would know why they weren't here.

Eating her sandwich, Will turned around to check the time. When she turned back to her lunch, she saw Alchemy sitting across from her at the table.

"Hey Alchemy," sighed Will.

"I know how you must feel," sighed the younger girl.

"What do you mean?" asked Will. She set her food aside and watched her tablemate.

"I saw the police go into the office when I told you principal Knickerbocker wanted to see you. The others aren't just out sick, are they?" asked Alchemy. Will sighed.

"No," Will replied.

"It's the same now as when Elyon went missing," Alchemy stated, "no one knows where they are, the waiting gets to you, because there's nothing you can do." Will had to stop herself from saying she _did_ know where the girls were, and that she _could_ do something to help them.

"Thanks Alchemy," smiled Will, "but I think this is different."

"I can see why," sighed Alchemy, "at least I had other people to hang out with while they looked for Elyon." Will wasn't sure if she should be mad at her for saying she had so few friends, or be happy that she felt sympathetic to her plight.

"Don't worry Will, you can come sit with us," smiled Alchemy, "and don't worry, I won't tell anyone about them going missing." Will smiled and followed the younger girl to her table to finish her lunch without feeling lonely.

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Episode 16 done! Up next is **Episode 17 (The Prince's Visit) **Another short chapter, I know…

Read and Review! Please!


	17. The Prince's Visit

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

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**Episode 17 (The Prince's Visit)**

"Do you have the four guardians?" asked Nerissa. She had just appeared from a red fold via Earth.

"I have four girls from Earth," Faris replied, "I am not sure if they are the guardians you speak of though. How can I tell?"

"Trust me, you'll know," frowned Nerissa. She sat down on a plush couch in the room, leaning across it. Faris sighed.

"But when I captured one of guardians before, she was with girls that didn't look like the ones I have now. They were dressed differently and, well, looked different," Fairs explained, "there has to be a way to tell the guardians from normal earthlings." Nerissa hung her head, this boy was impossible to work with.

"Those are their disguises," Nerissa scowled, she had thought even this boy could have figured that out.

"Have you located the last girl then?" asked Faris, "I know she got away before, but this time she won't be so lucky."

"I have not found her," lied Nerissa. She averted her eyes and looked to the ceiling for a moment.

"There's still one thing I don't understand," Faris spoke. Nerissa turned back to him.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"How is it possible that these five girls, these guardians of Earth, will be able to defeat me and my army? Why do they need to be dealt with first?" the Prince of Rokador asked, "they're just young girls!"

"I have told you before not to underestimate them," Nerissa frowned.

"But they're just-" repeated Faris.

"I know, but they are more powerful then you know," Nerissa explained.

"But, they appear to have no knowledge of how to fight, as reports from the soldiers who have brought them back tell me, and they don't have very big wings," Faris reasoned.

"Having wings isn't everything," Nerissa told the boy, "besides; you're just about as young as they are." Faris looked taken aback, but accepted Nerissa's word, scowling.

"I must go now," Nerissa announced.

"Where are you going?" asked Faris, "you haven't told me anything new of the attack plan!"

"Back to Earth," Nerissa replied, when Faris gave her a quizzical look she added, "to search for the final guardian."

"Good luck," nodded Faris. Nerissa opened a fold, wondering to herself how she could get Will to hand over the heart. The fold disappeared, leaving Faris alone. Sighing his frustration, Faris stomped his foot against the stone floor. He opened his wings and flew up to the ceiling of the vaulted room. After his anger had been spent, he lowered himself back to the floor and leaned on his chair.

"There has to be a way to find out where the last girl is," sighed Faris. His head leaned against his hand as he closed his eyes. He thought back to the night when he had captured the same guardian who was eluding him now. She had been sitting alone even after the others had left, just as Nerissa had predicted. He remembered a blinding flash and the other girls leaving, he was sure that was when they changed.

Faris had misinterpreted Nerissa's explanation, thinking that when the girls were guardians they were in their true forms; and that their earthling appearances were just disguises.

"If only I could get them out of their disguises, then I could prove they're the girls Nerissa's searching for," Faris mumbled to himself. He stood up, smiling at his brilliant idea. He would go down to the dungeons and force them to transform. Maybe then he could convince one of them to reveal the location of the last guardian.

Faris walked out of his meeting room and down a flight of stairs. The air immediately lost its moisture as he journeyed down four more sets of steps. The castle was much like the icebergs in the southern regions of Rokador, much bigger under the frigid waters then above. After walking down the stair, Faris stopped.

He hated the underground passages of the castle, almost as much as the soldiers hated to fly. He would never understand it; their race had been gifted with wings for a reason, they were superior to every other world, yet no one saw the gift of flight as anything other than a nuisance, aside from himself. Being underground was the best torture for any winged or wingless creature, to feel shut out and far from the world.

He thought back to the history books about the castle he had learned from when he was younger. The earth the castle was built on was special; the original texts in the palace library spoke of magic that had hardened the soil under and around the castle so that nothing could break it. But Faris hadn't believed in magic until just recently, when Nerissa had called him to Earth. She refused to tell him anything he wanted to know about the magic she used, telling him he wouldn't understand.

She treated him like a child, a puppet who she controlled. Faris let her take charge, thinking that when the Earth was taken over he could add another world to his list. He knew she understood more about the Earth and its protectors then he ever would. Not knowing about a world he was about to conquer had cost him a few battles in the past; he was not going to let it happen again. Faris would take any help he was offered.

The Prince of Rokador opened a wooden door, unlocking the lock as he walked through. He stepped into a dark, cold room where he saw two prison cells. The one to his left was empty, it had not been used in years, yet the cell on the prince's right was occupied. Pulling the single candle from the wall, he aimed its light at the figure. He recognized the brunette to be the first of the four who were captured.

"What do you want!" the girl exclaimed. She stood up and crossed the short distance from the back of her cell to the bars separating her from Faris. Clutching the bars in her hands, Faris noticed she looked paler then she had when his soldiers had brought her here, but he knew that spending days away from the sun would do that to anyone. The girl's teal eyes glared up at him, her fear was hidden under a mask of confidence.

Faris didn't speak, he wondered how to phrase his statement to tell her to transform. The girl grew impatient as she watched the prince's eyes sweep over her. Pressing her hands together she ordered him out, reinforcing her message by sending a jet of water directly at the prince. Stepping back in shock, Faris shook out his wings.

"Go away!" the girl roared again.

"Not until you show me you're the guardian I'm looking for!" Faris shouted at her. His voice echoed around the small room, booming his phrase two or three times before dying.

"Not on my life!" shouted the brunette. She blasted more water at him, soaking him head to toe in icy liquid.

"Fine, stay in here forever!" the prince told her. Irma watched him leave and retreated to the back of the prison cell, wondering if the others knew she was missing.

Faris slammed the door to the room shut and shook his wings. His pitch, black feathers glistened with the water the girl had thrown at him. He silently wondered where she had gotten it; prisoners weren't given much water, she would have had to create it out of thin air. He shook off the thought and walked through the underground labyrinth of hallways to the next prison cell.

Cursing the architects for making such a confusing maze of tunnels, he walked through the threshold of the next room with two more prison cells. This time the cell on the right was empty and the left one had another girl, she watched him come in from the corner of her eye. The flame on the candle rose and fell as if it were breathing, the room grew dark and light as the candle changed. Noticing the girl was controlling the candle for her own amusement; Faris swiped it from its holder on the wall.

"Stop it!" he ordered. The girl behind the bars got to her feet and smiled.

"Make me," she replied. The flame grew and engulfed the candle, melting half the wax into liquid and burning the prince's hand. Flinging the remaining stub of a candle from his hand, the girl watched as the flame on the wick died, leaving the room in blackness.

"Stupid candle," hissed Faris.

"Afraid of the dark?" mocked the girl. A ball of flame ignited from her hand, illuminating her face. All signs of worry were replaced by mocking laughter as she tossed the fireball at his left wing. The prince pulled his feathered wings closer to his body and tried to take a step closer to the bars parting the two of them. The girl cupped her hands and created another flaming ball of fire. She shot it at Faris, catching his wingtip on fire. He flapped his wing furiously and hurried out of the room.

"I hope you like the dark as much as you say," he shouted before locking the door, leaving Taranee in the dark. Faris examined his wing, smiling when he saw the flames had only licked a few of them, leaving no permanent damage. Sighing, he knew he still had two more girls to visit. He hoped neither of them could shoot fireballs at him.

He shifted the bolt on the next door and walked in. He expected to find the next girl huddled in a corner of her cell; instead it appeared that both the barred rooms were empty. Looking into the one on his left, he saw movement towards the right.

"Show yourself!" Faris demanded, staring into the right prison cell. The girl became visible for a moment. She flicked her wrists up at him, sending a wave of dusty air his way. He stood through it, not budging, and watched her set up for another attack.

"Don't!" Faris commanded, but his words went unheeded. He saw the dust on the stone floor rise up and swirl in a mini tornado. Feeling his wings being pulled towards it, he tried to leave the room. The tornado swept him up and spun him around a few times. When it ended he was dropped unceremoniously on the ground, covered in century, old dust.

"You'll pay for that!" Faris hissed, turning to face the girl. She had disappeared again, hiding from him.

"Show yourself girl!" Faris stated. He saw nothing. Mumbling incoherent words to himself he marched towards the door, dusting himself off. When he closed the door, Hay Lin became visible and returned to the floor to try and contact Taranee for the twentieth time that day; yet she could not get through to her.

Faris stomped out of Hay Lin's room and thought about each encounter. The three girls had each attacked him with a different element. For a moment he wondered whether all people from earth had powers over a certain element. He paused and remembered when he fought with the fifth guardian. She had attacked him with electricity, _maybe these are the guardians_, Faris wondered.

He walked down the hallway, taking two left turns to reach the final prison chamber where the last girl was being held. Opening the door he expected to be pummeled with the girl's power. Instead he walked into the room and saw her leaning against the bars, watching the back wall of the room. She didn't move when he walked over to the bars. Her blond hair sparkled in the candle light, pinned between her back and the bars of the cell.

"Get out," she ordered, she hadn't moved from her spot. Faris watched her for a moment more until she turned her head and shoulders to look at him.

"I said, get out!" The blond girl repeated. She spun her body around and pressed her hands to the floor. Faris cringed for a moment, expecting something to come flying at him, but after a moment when nothing happened, he relaxed. The girl held a perplexed look on her face, as if she had also expected something to move.

"What are you doing?" asked Faris. The fact that he hadn't been hit with something lightened his mood considerably.

"Trying to get you out!" snapped the girl. Faris laughed, the girl stood and glared at him.

"I guess I was wrong," stated Faris, "all people from Earth must not have powers as I had thought." The girl stared at him with confusion on her face.

"I have power," she said, "it's just not working! Besides, only guardians have these abilities." Faris didn't believe what he was hearing; the girl was actually telling him something what he wanted to know. He recalled what Nerissa had told him, _"Trust me, you'll know."_ He understood now, the guardians had the same type of magic he was working so hard to learn about.

"Once I get out of here, you'll get it!" vowed the girl.

"No one has ever been rescued from my dungeons," Faris explained, "but you can be free, if you transform and prove you're one of the guardians. Besides, such a pretty face shouldn't be kept in the dust." The girl shied back away from the bars at his last comment.

"Even if I wanted to change, which I don't, I can't," the blond girl said.

"Why not?!" Faris asked.

"The heart isn't here, its back with Will," Cornelia snapped. She turned and resumed her position against the bars, ignoring Faris.

Faris left the girl and walked back into the passageway after locking her door. As he walked up the stairwell for five stories, he thought about the girl's last statement. _"The heart isn't here, its back with Will."_ Faris had heard Nerissa use the word heart as well, but it didn't sound like the word he associated it with.

He wondered if Will was the name of the last guardian. _Was she the one he had captured, the one with this heart?_ Faris thought to himself. He knew he had successfully captured the four guardians, now all he needed was the final one, the last person in his way towards the conquest of Earth.

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Episode 17 done! Up next is **Episode 18 (The Will to Fight)** I just keep picking on poor Cornelia, oh well... Will Faris capture Will? Can the girls be rescued? What happened to Matt? Lots of questions, many answers in the next chapters… I love getting reviews, thanks readers! i 


	18. The Will to Fight

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** I'm trying to get the chapters longer, but I already know exactly what is going to happen in each one, so I can get exactly 26, and it's hard to elaborate much when my ideas say _Will sees Matt at the fold,_ or so-on. If you like short chapters, then you'll be happy, but if you're like me and like really long chapters, I'm sorry for now…

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**Episode 18 (The Will to Fight)**

"What do you mean you don't know who that is!?" Faris exclaimed. Nerissa rolled her eyes and leaned against the cool, stone wall.

"You have to know! One of the girls told me the last guardian's name, and you've never heard of her?" Faris fumed.

"You are correct," Nerissa explained, "I have never, in all my visits to Earth, run into a girl called Will."

"I don't believe this," Faris stated, "I will find her." Nerissa raised her eyebrows and smiled to herself. She walked out of the room and left the boy alone. Faris paced back and forth, he didn't believe a word Nerissa had just told him. _I will find this girl,_ Faris vowed to himself.

Opening his wings and stretching them out in front of his body, he crossed the two longest feathers, the ones at the tip of each wing, in an x. Pulling his wings up and out to the sides, he sliced through the fabric of time and space, creating a fold. Running his fingers over the two feathers, he checked to make sure they were still razor sharp so he could get back. Only members of royal family in Rokador were born with these sharp-edged feathers. Throughout the centuries, his family had used them to create folds and attack other worlds.

His birthright entitled him to be able to create folds which closed when he wished, and to position the fold in correct place where he wanted to go, every time. Grabbing his cloak from its hook on the wall, he stepped through the glittering fold, pulling the black fabric over his wings.

The prince of Rokador wondered how the people of Earth survived in their strange world. There were so many dangers here; shiny, fast moving, wheeled objects which ate and spit the earthlings out on a regular basis, and large boxed, horseless vehicles speeding down the hardened pathways, paying no mind to the creatures in their way.

The people here never smiled as his people did. On Earth they seemed too busy to be bothered with the concept of happiness. They walked down the pale pathways, intent on getting where they wanted, becoming annoyed when they had to pass slower walking people. The strange buildings towered over his head, blocking out the wind and the sky, confining him to the ground. He hated being here almost as much as he hated the underground of his own castle.

He adjusted his cape and walked alongside the people of Earth. Even though it had been early morning in Rokador, the sun was high and it was midday in Heatherfield. The time difference made Faris feel as though he had missed something, but he shrugged it off and passed by an old building with kids milling about. He passed the building, not expecting the girl he was searching for to be there. She had looked much older than the kids talking to each other under the trees and climbing into the yellow rolling monsters.

The February chill settled onto his shoulders as he walked through a park. A bunch of birds were cooing and bobbing their heads as they shuffled around on the ground. He strode through the flock of pigeons, walking to the other side of the park. The birds rose into the air to avoid being stepped on, but instead of landing back on the ground, they flew towards Faris. The birds attacked him, pecking at his cape, face, hands, and clothing. He struggled to get them off, and didn't see the girl he was looking for pass by.

---

Will laughed to herself as she walked past a man being attacked by birds. Everyone knew the birds here didn't take to being disturbed lightly, they attacked. She had learned that the hard way when she scared a crow off a garbage can. Her walk to school that day had involved being attacked with the crow's beak and dodging pieces of garbage the bird dropped from above.

She adjusted her backpack on her shoulders and walked home. The park was only a block or two from her house, but she still wished the weather would turn warmer. She skipped up the stairs and unlocked her door. Setting her bag on the table, she collapsed on the couch, closing her eyes, trying to think.

The wind was knocked out of her lungs as a weight dropped onto her stomach. Opening her brown eyes, Will wished she hadn't. Mel adjusted her position on Will's stomach, purring. Will frowned and rolled over, forcing the cat off. She leaped to the carpet to avoid getting sandwiched between the couch and Will, sighing.

"Go away," ordered Will.

"You wouldn't want to get grounded again," smiled Mel slyly.

"My mom isn't home, she'd never know," Will scowled.

"You're right, she'd never know that I'd be faking it," grinned the cat. Will blew the stray piece of hair from her eyes and glanced down at the cat.

"Get lost," commanded Will, "go bother someone else. Leave me alone!" The cat shrugged and walked down the hall, leaving Will to herself. After a few minutes she reappeared and looked up at Will who was still lying on the couch.

"You're pathetic," frowned Mel.

"What?" asked Will, "no I'm not."

"From where I'm standing you are," purred Mel, "what kind of a _friend,_ do you think you are?"

"What are you talking about?" Will questioned. She got off the couch and knelt in front of Mel, frowning at the cat's logic.

"You're not doing anything to save them, even after I offered you a simple solution," Mel stated.

"Yeah, as if I'd take your advice," Will said.

"It didn't kill you before," Mel added, judging Will's reaction. The guardian thought back to when the girls and her _had_ taken Nerissa's advice, becoming one with their elements to battle Cedric.

"It almost did," Will muttered under her breath. Mel shook off the comment and leaped onto Will's lap.

"You're a terrible guardian," she purred

"No I'm not!" Will exclaimed. Shoving Mel off her lap, the cat sat up and twisted her tail around her feet while Will got to her feet. "I can't be worse then you." Mel hissed, baring her teeth.

"Why should I even try?" Will asked herself as she walked over to where she dropped her backapck, "I'm next, I know I am."

"I wouldn't be so sure," muttered Mel.

"What?" asked Will, confusion seeping into her voice, "Why wouldn't I be? Why would I be left alone here?" Mel gave a curt laugh and darted under one of the blue armchairs.

"Good, go away. Hide under the furniture, I'm going out," Will announced.

"Remember to bring your jacket this time," James added.

"Yes James," sighed Will. Even when her mother wasn't around, she still had the appliances telling her what to do. Grabbing her jacket, Will entered the cold air outside and began her ten minute walk to the Silver Dragon. She had told Yan Lin what had become of her granddaughter, or at least what she _thought_ had become of her. The ex-guardian had understood Will's plight.

Opening the door to the Chinese restaurant, the bell rigged to it chimed, announcing her entrance. It went unheeded in the noise and rustling plates though, allowing Will to slip towards the basement without detection from Mr. and Mrs. Lin.

"Will!" called Yan Lin. Will paused, shutting the door to the basement and making her way across the restaurant. The old guardian pulled Will up a flight of stairs and into what appeared to be the Lin household.

"Will, are you ok?" asked Yan Lin, taking a seat on a cushioned couch near the end of the stairs.

"No," Will sighed. Her right hand grabbed her left wrist and she winced. Yan Lin looked down and saw the girl's arms. They were both wrapped with medical tape from her elbows to her hands.

"What happened to you?" asked Hay Lin's grandmother.

"Nerissa," Will explained, "never try to fight a cat with claws." Yan Lin decided not to inquire further, but instead continued with her pervious train of thought.

"Something else is bothering you as well," she spoke. Will took a seat next to her on the plush loveseat.

"Caleb, Cornelia, and Hay Lin, Taranee, and Irma are all trapped in Rokador, and I've been doing nothing to help them," Will sobbed.

"Will," sighed Yan Lin, "you're doing the best you can, what more can you do for them?"

"Nerissa said-"

"Don't believe a word of what she tells you," Yan Lin commanded, "she's just trying to get inside you, to tare you apart from the inside out."

"She's doing a good job," Will replied.

"No," Yan Lin said, "you have to be strong, for your friends' sake."

"Ok," Will said, biting her lip, "I was going to go see Matt now." Yan Lin nodded and let her go. Will walked into the basement and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She pulled the Heart of Candracar out from around her neck and opened a red fold to Rokador. Stepping through, Will didn't bother transforming. She checked the forest and saw the person she desperately needed to see; Matt. He had even changed back to himself for the meeting; smiling when he saw her come through the fold.

Will flung herself at him, locking the two of them in a tight embrace, her lips meeting his. They stood in each other's arms for a moment more, until Will's sobbing broke them free.

"Will," Matt said, "what happened?"

"Matt," cried Will, her tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks, "I can't do it anymore."

"Do what?" asked Matt, "you haven't done anything."

"I know," Will sobbed. Matt sat her down on the ground next to him and let her cry. He put his hand on her arm and saw the bandages.

"Did Nerissa do this?" he asked softly. Will nodded.

"I haven't done anything to help them," Will sniffled, "I _can't_ do anything to help them. I'm a failure at being a guardian."

"No, no you aren't," Matt told her, "anyone who thinks that is wrong."

"But it's true Matt," Will replied, "it would be easier to just give Nerissa the heart."

"What!" Matt exclaimed, "No, you can't. Will, don't let her get into your mind too, you have to fight her."

"But how?" asked Will, "I could be next."

"Will, listen to me," Matt said, "You have to keep fighting, your friends need you. I know you can think of a way to help them. You have to find the will to keep going on, to keep fighting." He touched her face, drying off the tearstains running down her cheeks. Will smiled, her eyes still glistened with tears, but they no longer fell down her face.

"Matt," smiled Will. She pulled him into another embrace which he returned. They stayed in each other's arms until Matt heard footsteps. He helped Will stand, glancing in the direction of the sounds.

"Will, you have to go," Matt urged.

"But-"

"Go, I'll meet back with you tomorrow," Matt explained. He transformed into his winged form and hurried Will through the fold. The redhead closed the fold behind her. Her smile was small, but she felt happiness reverberate throughout her being.

"I can do this," Will told herself out loud. She pulled her coat around her and left the restaurant, just avoiding Hay Lin's parents.

The next day when she folded to Rokador, she smiled as she stepped through the fold and saw Matt. He was happy to see her cheerful again, and returned her blissful grin.

"I never did get to hear what you'd learned yesterday," Will said.

"Caleb's been found," Matt began.

"I know," Will said, "Nerissa told me." Matt nodded.

"Nerissa is also behind why he girls were acting so strange, she said she's get in their minds to-"

"Break us apart," Will finished, "I figured that out. Nerissa hinted to it when she told me about Caleb. How did he get caught though?"

"It was during flight practice," Matt explained, "I really don't know the whole story, but when I took off he was there with wings, and when I started to fly back I saw him laying on the ground without them."

"Could the glamour have worn off because the source was so far away?" asked Will.

"I don't know, it might have," Matt stated, "I only have a piece of Lillian's powers, so the magic's considerably weaker then when all of the regents work together." Will nodded.

"Do you have any idea where the girls and Caleb would be taken?" asked Will.

"Probably the dungeons, but I don't know how to get to them," Matt answered.

"That's weird, are you sure?" asked Will, "when Faris captured me I was locked in what he called a guest's room or something."

"But you were in your guardian form when that happened, right?" asked Matt.

"So?" Will replied.

"The others aren't," Matt explained, "What if you were treated different because you were a guardian?"

"Wouldn't that make them want to lock me up more though?" asked Will. Matt thought back to everything he'd learned about Rokador. He remembered the conversation with Orn and the other members of his room about when he saw a girl being taken into the castle.

"Wings," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?" asked Will.

"You had wings when you were a guardian, the girls don't!" Matt exclaimed, "what if they treat prisoners better with wings because they feel they're more important than the ones without them?"

"Best guess so far," Will said, she yawned and leaned on Matt.

"Hey, don't fall asleep," he joked. Will smiled and laughed along with him. Too soon she would have to journey home and deal with Mel again. She had to figure out a way to rid herself of that cat and rescue her friends. Being with Matt was a welcome distraction for now.

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Episode 18 done! Up next is **Episode 19 (An Identity Revealed) **Faris hates pigeons: ) Will doesn't strike me much as a crier, but after hearing the same thing for days after days after weeks, she might start to believe things that aren't true; my case and point, Nerissa telling Will she's a failure to get the heart… I actually cried along with Will while writing this chapter. 


	19. An Identity Revealed

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** Sorry about the delay... : - (

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**Episode 19 (An Identity Revealed)**

_I've already walked down this path_, thought Faris as he read the street signs in his head. Each day he walked the city; searching, hoping, trying to catch a glimpse of her, or hear the girl's name being spoken. But everyday he turned up nothing new in his search. He had not spoken with Nerissa about his plans to find her, this Earth girl named Will. In fact, he had dropped the whole subject of finding the last guardian, instead working on his battle strategies and tactics. _Oak Street, I've walked this way as well_, remembered Faris.

After folding to Earth everyday for the last week and searching, he had a fair understanding of the layout of the city called Heatherfield. He also knew that if he kept walking down this street, _Oak Street_, he would pass the building called _Sheffield Institute_, the same place where the people were before. He noticed that as he passed this building each day, he saw more children of varying ages. While he thought many of them were young and small, he also saw some who might be older then himself.

Faris pulled his cape over his shoulders, checking to be sure his wings were securely hidden from prying eyes. Pausing to adjust the fabric over his left shoulder, he accidently overheard exactly the thing he wanted to hear.

"Hay Will!" Faris turned his head towards the voice. He watched a young girl wave frantically towards a crowd of people, trying to get someone's attention. Emerging from the group of tightly clustered students, a redhead appeared, smiled, and approached the girl who had called out to her.

"Good morning," she said. The Prince of Rokador watched the exchange. Disbelief had flooded through his senses, rendering him motionless. The girl, this girl named Will, was the same girl who had taken the cat who was Nerissa back from the parade. Stunned, Faris could only watch and wonder, _had Nerissa known this girl to be the last guardian? If she did, why did she not tell me at once? Was she hiding her from me?_

The bell rang on the wall of the school, shattering Faris' thoughts like ice. He lost Will in the stampede of other students as they walked into the building. Frowning, the prince melted into the shadows of a nearby walkway between two buildings, waiting for her to emerge.

---

Will headed into the school accompanied by Alchemy. The two had become closer over the past week, but Will did not find she had the same interests with her as she did with the other girls. Once Matt and her figured out a plan to rescue them, she would finally be happy. Parting from Alchemy, Will grabbed her things from her locker and headed off to math class. She hated waking up and learning about numbers first thing in the morning. She was already bad enough in math, having it first period didn't ease her troubles.

Taking a seat in the back row of the room, Will watched the clock as her teacher wrote up the notes to the chapter on the board. The clock appeared to be on her side today though, the hands seeming to swing ever faster each moment, until finally the bell rang. Grabbing her notebook containing a few scribbled notes, Will made for the door. As she opened it, the entrance was blocked by the two detectives.

"Will," frowned Mcteenin, "we need to have another word with you." The other students were ushered out before they could make a scene, and Will took a seat on one of the desks.

"Did you find them yet?" asked Will, her tone was sarcastic.

"No, we have not found the four girls, but we have a new face to add to the case," said Mcteenin.

"Who?" asked Will.

"Matt Olsen," stated Mdean.

"No, he's-" Will stuttered.

"In a foreign exchange program in South America?" questioned Mdean, "No he's not. We ran a search on the program, after his parents found their letters they sent were being returned without ever being out of the country and found it exported grain, not students." Will bit her lip.

"If you know he's missing, what do you need me for?" Will asked.

"We need to know if you have information as to where he would be. His grandfather explained you two were, close," stated Mcteenin.

"I thought he was studying in South America," Will lied.

"And you didn't think it suspicious that no student ever came here to take his place?" asked Mdean.

"No, I-"

"Have you received any letters from him?" wondered Mdean

"No, but-"

"Have you ever mailed a letter to him?" asked Mdean.

"No," Will replied.

"Did he even give you an address to write to?" asked Mcteenin.

"He never-"

"Did he-"

"No!" exclaimed Will, "I haven't heard from him, or gotten anything from him. If he's not in South America, then I don't know where he is!" The two detectives stared at Will, shell-shocked by her sudden outburst.

"You can go back to class," sighed Mdean. Will nodded, grabbed her things, and hurried from the room. Watching the door close behind her, she nearly avoided crashing into Mr. Silla as he pushed cart loaded with computer equipment down the hall. Muttering a quick apology, she raced back to her locker. She knew her mother would be gone and the house would be empty, _well hopefully empty_, if she came home now.

She grabbed her coat from the hook inside her locker and pulled it on while she walked out the front doors. The wind was starting to turn milder as the winter lessened and spring dawned ever closer, but Will could shake off the chills that plagued her mind. She was going to take action now. She had to find the girls and bring everyone back to Heatherfield soon. If she didn't; Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, and Matt's disappearances would cause a major stir in the town. Soon the police would put the case out to the public, and everyone would know that they weren't just sick. When they all returned they'd be in hot water trying to weave a story up on the spot to explain their disappearances.

---

Faris smiled as he watched Will leave the school far earlier then she should have. Matching her pace a few dozen yards behind her, he followed Will two blocks north. Watching her walk the long way around the park, he cut through it to head her off. His eyes on Will, he marched through a landed flock of pigeons, making the take flight. As the prince strode off, the birds flew at him. He felt the first ones peck at his head and neck.

Punching and ducking, Faris flailed his arms around in the air, trying to knock the annoying birds out of the sky. He succeeded in hitting a single bird, at which point all the other pigeons flew away to bother another person. Faris frowned; his chance at cutting off the girl was lost. He watched her round the corner, disappearing from view.

The Prince of Rokador ran after her down the street. He caught up after a moment, and again stayed just within seeing distance. He thought of the best possible way to get her, there seemed to be no places to jump out of or cut around to get in front. Just as he had made up his mind on his plan, Will turned down a wide driveway and opened the door to a building. She disappeared inside, leaving Faris not believing the awful luck he had.

---

Walking inside the building, Will opened the door and entered the threshold into her living room. The room was deserted just as Will had hoped; she set down her bag and coat and approached her room. Taking a deep breath, Will pulled out the heart.

"Guardian Unite!" she called. After she transformed, she opened a fold to Rokador. The ruby light bounced over her walls and out the window. She stepped through the fold and into the forest of Rokador. Closing the fold behind her, Will searched the surrounding area for any sign of life which would chase or try to capture her. Smiling when she knew she was alone, Will headed towards the town.

As she left the forest, she remembered she would stick out like a sore thumb without large, feathery wings. Ducking behind a nearby shop, she scanned the market searching for a cape or cloak to throw over herself. She saw nothing at first; none of the shops seemed to sell what she needed. Stepping further into the shadows of the small wooden structure she hid behind, her wings brushed up against something.

Will turned around to see what she had backed into. Grabbing the fabric, Will sighed. The fuzzy cloak had been tossed into the garbage, and was covered in food scraps and stains. Knowing she wouldn't find another one, Will shook the hooded cloak, trying to free it from the food which clung to the fibers. Even though the food had fallen off, the fabric still reeked of living with the garbage.

"I smell like Blunk," sighed Will after she pulled the cloak over her body. She pulled the hood over her red hair and scowled when she realized the material was too short, her bright, purple boots stuck out from the bottom. She hoped no one would notice and strode into the market place. She stuck to the shadows and away from the more crowded areas, trying to stay out of sight. She walked for a few blocks and realized she had no idea where she was going.

Never before had she ventured into the town around the castle, she couldn't even see the castle. She tried to think back to the night Faris had folded them to the balcony; she remembered seeing a wide road, but the figures and buildings were unrecognizable in the dark of her memory. She walked up the street until she reached a dead end. Turning around, the sky opened up and rain fell free. It fell in gentle sheets, evenly coating the ground with a layer of water.

Feeling the rain seep through the cloak on her back, Will searched the area for a large street. The villagers had all donned hooded capes and coats of their own now, trying in vain to keep the rain off of them. Blending into the crowd, Will shuffled around, searching for a way to palace. The rain started to fall harder and Will felt weighed down by her cloak. The brown fabric had turned a muddy color from the water and the fibers from the material itched at her skin. Feeling the water start to seep through the cloak and soak her guardian outfit, Will headed under an awning to search out the best path to follow.

Glancing up and down the market, Will saw the crowd part and let a group of three soldiers jog down the center path. Deciding that they would be heading towards the palace, Will followed them at an easy trot. The three men jogged down the pathway heading south, they turned and then headed down a wider street. Will again ducked under a stall and pretended to be studying the price of a weird blue fruit as she glanced down the road. Smiling, Will replaced the fruit and walked down the street, her eyes on the castle. It wasn't nearly as impressive as Elyon's, but the white stone in contrast to the red sky demanded respect.

Knowing her friends were somewhere inside the stone fortress, Will frowned, searching for a way inside. She walked around the base of the building, searching for a door or an open window. The western side of the Rokadorian castle was open to a wide meadow. No houses or buildings looked towards it from this direction, only the tall grasses and a few shrubs.

Locating an open window on the third floor, Will shed her soaked cloak and flexed her wings. Smiling, she fluttered up the three stories and slipped inside. Checking to be sure she as alone, she wondered where she was. The room had many suits of armor, and two large chairs along the wall, a plush couch and rug faced them. Feeling she had stumbled into an important meeting room, Will located the doorway and opened it, exiting the chamber. Slipping into the hallway, Will walked down a flight of stairs and waited for two guards to pass by in the hall in front of her.

Peering around the corner again, Will jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was spun around, and smiled in relief as she saw who had found her.

"Matt," smiled Will, "you scared me!"

"Shh," hushed Matt. He motioned for her to follow him. Will stepped into place behind her boyfriend and walked into a small closet. Shutting the door, the room filled with darkness.

"Hold on," muttered Will. She snapped her fingers and a small, fizzing ball of energy floated up towards the ceiling of the closet, shedding just enough light to see.

"Will," Matt said, pulling his wings tighter against his body to make more room, "why are you here?"

"Aren't you happy to see me?" asked Will.

"Yes… but why?" asked Matt again.

"Your parents Matt," Will explained, "they've discovered you didn't go to South America to study."

"You sent me to South America?" Matt laughed.

"Matt!" hissed Will.

"Ok," sighed her boyfriend, "so you risked your life to tell me my parents are worried?"

"Well, not completely," Will stated, "we're going to get the others free too."

"Wait a second Will," Matt said, "how?"

"I don't know," Will sighed. She turned her head and watched the ball of energy floating in the air near the top of the room. It sparked and fizzed without a care in the world. It didn't know any of the emotions which plagued its maker, nothing anything of sadness, guilt, or longing.

"Where would they be?" asked Will, breaking the silence which hung in the air between them.

"Under the castle," Matt explained, "but I don't know how to find them."

"_You_ don't," said Will awestruck. The heart had risen up and hovered in the air, within its pink center Will saw each of the other four guardians. The heart jumped forward, pulling Will with it towards the door. "But the heart knows!" She slid the necklace off her neck and held the end in her hand as it floated in the air. Matt opened the door, following Will as she was led to a secret staircase by the heart. Matt had never known this flight of stairs to exist and replaced the tapestry as he walked into the corridor.

The heart illuminated the dark steps with a soft, pink light. They walked down the stairwell for two flights. When the passageway leveled out, Matt collided with Will as she stopped.

"What's wrong?" asked Matt.

"Someone's coming," whispered Will. She stowed the heart around her neck just as a soldier rounded the corner and saw the two of them. Thinking fast, Matt grabbed Will around her waist and pulled her closer to him, locking both her arms between the two of them. Will struggled for a moment, wondering what Matt was doing.

"Matt, what are you doing?" asked the young soldier.

"Orn, go close the door up these stairs," ordered Matt, "I've found the last girl Prince Faris was searching for."

"Yes, yes I will," Orn stuttered. He stumbled, glancing at Will for a moment as he climbed the stairs to shut the nonexistent door at the top of the stairs.

"Hurry, it won't take him long to realize that there's no door up there, he'll come back to try and help me," Matt explained as he released Will. Will nodded and pulled the Heart of Candracar out once more. It glowed brighter and tugged at its chain, pulling Will down the passageway to the left. The two teens ran down the passage, their footsteps ringing in the silence. The heart pointed to the right and glowed a faint red.

"The heart's found Taranee!" Will exclaimed, remembering that Taranee's aura mirror was a red color. Matt raced after Will as she followed the directions from the heart. They turned corner after corner, headed down a flight of stairs, and paused. The heart bathed the hallway in red light. Will looked to the end of the hallway and saw a door.

"She must be in there!" smiled Will, placing the heart back around her neck. She crossed the hallway, passed another set of doors, and reached for the knob.

* * *

Episode 19 done! Up next is **Episode 20 (Escape from Rokador) **Can it really be that easy? 


	20. Escape From Rokador

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

* * *

**Episode 20 (Escape From Rokador)**

Turning the bronze handle, Will opened the door and pulled it toward her. Matt peered inside the room over Will's shoulder.

"That's not Taranee," Matt muttered. Will agreed and tried to slam the door closed again. The door swung open, throwing Will back into Matt. The two struggled to get up from the ground as the occupant from the room walked towards them.

"This is by far, your worst idea yet," Nerissa hissed at Will. Getting to her feet, the keeper of the heart directed a ball of energy at Nerissa. The door was separated from its hinges as the electricity made contact with it, causing smoke to fill the corridor.

"Will, find the others, I'll keep Nerissa busy!" called Matt, grabbing her arm. He pushed her off in the direction from which they had come.

Will stumbled and grabbed for the heart. She pulled it free, seeing the red light had dimed some. She walked to the set of doors she had passed to get the room Nerissa had been in. The heart responded to the door on the right by glowing bright red. Will kicked at the door, hoping to unlock it and get inside. When that didn't work, she touched the knob and mumbled an almost silent quintessence. The lock clicked and the door opened, allowing the light from the hall to flood inside.

"Taranee?" asked Will, scanning the darkness. A flame appeared in the blackness along with a voice.

"Will!?" came the startled voice of Taranee.

"Taranee, I'm coming!" exclaimed Will. She darted over to the bars of the fire guardian's cell. "Can't you melt them?"

"I've tried," sighed Taranee. Will shook her head and searched for the door. She smiled and sent a small ball of energy into the lock. Taranee pushed the door open after the lock had opened and stepped towards Will. The two girls shared a quick hug before Taranee transformed.

"Have you found the others?" asked Taranee, stretching her wings.

"Not yet, but we have to hurry," Will explained. She turned her attention to the heart which had begun to glow a pale blue.

"It's found Irma!" smiled Will. She pulled Taranee from the room, taking to the air and speeding down the hallway. The heart floated out in front of Will, guiding her around corners and down the correct path when the hallway would split. Taranee glided after her, happy to be free of her prison cell.

"She in here," announced Will. The heart pointed to a door, shining a deep midnight blue. Will looked to Taranee; the guardian of fire took the hint, and blasted the door away with a ball of flame.

"Irma!?" called Will. She saw something move inside the room and stand up.

"Taranee? Will!" exclaimed Irma, "I'm so happy to see you. I'm so sorry, I have no idea-"

"Irma it's ok," Will explained, "blame Nerissa, she did it."

"What?" asked Irma. Will went to work on opening Irma's door and she soon had her free and in guardian form. They all glanced at the heart and saw it was shining yellow.

"Off to Cornelia," Taranee smiled. The girls hurried from the room and followed Will as she flew down the tunnel, following the heart. They came to a stop when the soldier who had stopped Matt and Will hurried down the stairs in front of them. He saw them and paused, his mouth hanging open as he attempted to form words for help.

Irma blasted the boy backwards into the wall with a stream of water. His wings cushioned his landing, but he didn't rise immediately. He sat there, still speechless. Will wondered why he had been chosen as an elite soldier, the poor boy did not even know how to react to their escape.

"Hurry," Taranee called. The girls left the soldier and followed the heart down the last flight of stairs and around two left turns. They found a door, opened it, and saw Cornelia.

"Cornelia!" smiled Irma. The blond saw them all at once and smiled in surprise.

"You guys came!" she smiled, "but he said no one had ever been rescued."

"Faris?" asked Will, unlocking her door, "he lied. Hurry, we still have to find Hay Lin and Caleb!"

"Caleb's down here too?" gasped Cornelia. Will nodded and transformed the guardian of earth.

"But Will, my powers," explained Cornelia as they left the room, "they don't work here!"

"You were just weak, it's ok," Will suggested, glancing down at the crystal she grinned, "the heart's found Hay Lin!" The girls flew down the hallway and took a right at the fork in the tunnels. As they came to another forked hall, a group of guards rushed towards them.

"Will, find Hay Lin," Taranee called, flames sparkling in her eyes, "We'll hold them off!"

"But," Will paused.

"No, go!" Irma replied. Will nodded and flew away from the battle. Taranee and Irma worked together to create a cover of steam, while Cornelia felt useless. She tried and tried, but her powers over earth did not respond to her here. She decided to try her telekinetic powers, flinging a door she had ripped off its hinges at the guards through the steam.

Unseeing, the winged men fought with each other and crashed into the walls. Wings and arms were tangled as they tried to get free of the mess. Feathers fluttered in the air, adding to the confusion.

Will flew down the hallway, following the heart as it glowed a stronger and stronger shade of grayish silver. She landed and walked past an open doorway, the heart pulling her forward. A hand shot out from the threshold and gripped the crystal in its palm. Surprise and panic overcame the guardian as she held tight to the chain which held herself to the jewel.

Stepping into the candle light of the hallway, Faris grabbed the crystal with both hands. Will gasped, gripping the heart's chain tighter as it dug into her fingers.

"You thought you can get away from me, didn't you?" questioned Faris.

"Yes," smiled Will, "I did."

"You thought wrong guardian," the prince mocked. He leaned backward and added his weight to the tug of war. Will was thrown backward to the floor as the heart broke free from its chain and remained in Faris' closed hands.

Faris had no idea of how much importance this jewel was to the guardian girl, but he knew it was a powerful object. He remembered she had taken it from her neck when the blinding flash of light had been emitted and the others left. It was similar to the jewel Nerissa used to fold in and out of his meeting room. He would figure out how to beat the guardians, and this jewel, _this heart_ would be the beginning.

"Give it back!" ordered Will, getting to her feet.

"No," smiled the prince. Will closed her brown eyes and extended her arm out towards the heart. Her own heart hammered in her chest; she felt the adrenalin coursing through her body, she was just short of full out panic. She searched out the heart's energy through the mists of her mind. A black fog surrounded the heart, but it fought to be free, to be back with her. Smiling, Will extended her finger tips further, willing the Heart of Candracar into her palm.

A second late, she felt the crystal in her enclosed hand. Looking up, she saw Faris staring dumbstruck at his empty fingers.

"How did you?" stuttered the Prince. Will responded by sending a lightning bolt at him, which threw him crashing into the room he had just emerged from. Holding the heart in her palm, Will attempted to tie the string back onto it.

The heart leaped up into the air, sparkling a strong silver. Checking over her shoulder to make sure Faris was still down, she headed off. The Rokadorian Prince still had not emerged from the room he had been pushed into. Will hurried down the hall and found the correct door. Kicking it free, she rushed into the room but saw nothing.

"Hay Lin?" asked Will, "are you here?"

"Who is it? Will!" exclaimed Hay Lin. The girl appeared out of thin air and smiled, "you don't know how happy I am to see you!"

"Trust me, I do," replied Will, a smiled to match Hay Lin's blooming on her face. Will unlocked the door, transformed Hay Lin into a guardian, and helped her out of the room.

"Where are the others?" asked Hay Lin, "did you figure out where Irma and Cornelia went?"

"Yeah, I'll explain everything when we get back," Will replied, "they're all down the hall fighting off some guards now," replied Will

"We should go help them," Hay Lin suggested.

"You go, I still need to find Caleb," Will answered. Hay Lin nodded and flew down the hall in the direction she was given. Will, still clutching the heart in her hand, flew in the opposite direction down the corridor. She wondered how she was ever going to find Caleb in this maze of tunnels. The heart would not know to find Caleb, for he wasn't a guardian, so Will was on her own in searching for him.

"CALEB!" screamed Will, her voice reverberating down the hallway. She should have brought the others to help her, but knew they were busy buying her time to search. Sending an energy blast at a set of doors, Will peeked inside the rooms, empty. She made her way further down the darkening hallway, hoping to find him.

After turning another corner, Will heard banging echo down the hall. Following the noise, she found the room where the sounds were coming from and blasted the door off its hinges to look inside.

"Will!" exclaimed a voice from the dark.

"Caleb?" asked Will. Another clang echoed in the room, Will pressed her hands against her ears to shield them from the sound.

"Sorry," laughed Caleb.

"Here let me help," replied Will, unlocking the lock on the door with her powers. Caleb walked out the small room, brandishing a stick of metal like a sword.

"Where did you get that?" asked Will, exiting the room.

"It was hidden in the wall," smiled Caleb, "I was trying to break through the bars with it." Will suppressed her laughter and took to the air. The two of them rushed back to the main hallway where the other four girls were just heading off another group of guards.

"Will, fold us out of here!" called Cornelia, directing part of wooden door at one of the soldiers. It hit him over the head and knocked him backwards on to the steps. Hay Lin's air attacks had stirred up ancient dust, clouding the air and making breathing difficult for both groups. Another mess of soldiers crowded down the stairs, eager to fight.

"Where's Matt?" asked Will, shouting to be heard over the noise of the hallway. The girls were more outnumbered each moment they stayed, soon they would be pushed back into the maze of hallways and have no room to fight back.

The ceiling above the girls gave away a moment later. They all jumped back to avoid being trapped in the falling stones and other debris. With the ceiling gone, a silhouette leaped down into the battle between the soldiers and the guardians.

"Where's Matt!?" exclaimed Will, shouting at Nerissa. Her appearance on the scene had not only shaken the girls, but also many of the guards.

"Get them!" Nerissa ordered the guards. They shrugged to themselves and ran towards the girls, climbing over the pile of rubble which separated the two opposing forces. Just before the girls and Caleb had time to react, two lime green beams of light shot down at the soldiers. The rock they hit exploded and a cloud of dust billowed into the already dusty air. Hay Lin sent a gust of wind to blow the dust away, and watched a winged boy enter through the ceiling.

"Miss me?" asked Matt, Will sighed in relief, then Matt added, "hurry, Faris is coming, fold us out of here Will!" Will nodded and opened a fold in the passageway. Caleb, Cornelia, Irma, Taranee, Hay Lin, Will and Matt all escaped through it just in time. As the fold closed, the Prince of Rokador appeared and looked down at the mess through the hole in the floor. Rage filled his face. Never before had he seen such a disgraceful loss occur on Rokador's soil

--- ---

"That was close," Irma sighed, leaning against the wall of the Silver Dragon basement.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you all again," smiled Will.

"Well, maybe if you came and rescued-" Cornelia stated.

"All?" asked Hay Lin.

"You didn't know the others were there too?" asked Will.

"How could they?" asked Caleb, "everyone was separated for a reason."

"Well, what took you so long Will?" asked Cornelia.

"Hey, things were just as bad for me, as they were for all of you!" Will snapped.

"I doubt it," Cornelia replied.

"Hey, don't fight!" Matt intervened, "Nerissa will have won then!" Cornelia and Will sighed, dropping their argument.

"What do you mean?" asked Irma.

"Nerissa did this?" asked Hay Lin.

"It all makes sense now," Taranee figured.

"How?" asked Cornelia, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Nerissa _somehow_ got us all to separate, then Faris' soldiers could capture us, and then he would keep us apart!" Taranee explained, "but, how did she do it?"

"She said something about getting into your minds," Matt answered.

"_Nerissa_ told me that in my daydream?!" Irma exclaimed.

"What?" asked Will. Irma sat down on the cot and leaned against the cool wall of the basement, resting her head for a moment before continuing on with her story.

"When I was at your house, I was daydreaming, and I heard this voice in my head telling me that if I didn't want you guys to all get hurt, then I should stay away from you," Irma explained.

"Is that why you avoided us that day in school?" asked Hay Lin. Irma nodded her head. The girls turned to Cornelia, wondering why she had avoided them that day as well.

"I had a dream that you guys all hated me, and then Irma spilled soup on me in the cafeteria. That voice told me you didn't want to be seen with me anymore," Cornelia replied.

"But why would Nerissa work so hard to get us out of the way, and then leave Will here alone?" asked Hay Lin.

"She was trying to get me to give up the Heart of Candracar," Will told them, "she told me if I did, then you could all go free." Will opened her hand and smiled as she saw the heart. The metal surrounding the pink crystal had left its imprint in her hand. The heart was still free of the broken string, but Will did not try to retie it. Instead she pocketed the heart and string, waiting until she got home.

"What happened to the heart Will?" asked Irma.

"Faris broke it off its string, but I got it back," smiled Will.

"Why would Faris want the heart?" asked Hay Lin.

"Why would he want to find the guardians?" added Taranee.

"He's going along with what Nerissa's telling him, that's why," Cornelia stated.

"He doesn't always," Will replied, "he follows his own laws first, then Nerissa's ideas."

"What do you mean?" asked Irma.

"You guys were in the dungeons, yet I was in a suite," Will replied.

"So, how is that-?" asked Cornelia.

"Wings," smiled Matt.

"Wings?" asked the four girls. Will nodded.

"Obviously in Rokador, people with wings are treated better than those without them, even when they're prisoners," Will stated.

"So if we were guardians," Hay Lin started.

"Then we would have been better off?" asked Irma.

"It makes sense," Taranee added, "everything in their world has wings, so obviously they think more highly of beings like themselves, and less of wingless ones."

The basement door opened. Silence filled the room as the girls wondered who was going to come walking down the stairs. Hay Lin jumped to her feet and sailed over to the stairs as the person touched the basement floor.

"Grandma!" exclaimed the excited girl.

"Oh Hay Lin!" smiled Yan Lin, catching her granddaughter up in a strong hug.

"We'd better be going home too," sighed Taranee, "my mom's gonna freak when I walk in the door."

"Yeah, the police are looking for you guys, so you better come up with good stories for your parents and the police," warned Will, "you too Matt."

"It's ok, I've already got one," smiled her boyfriend. Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Matt all left the basement and walked off to their homes. Will paused a moment, thinking, and then walked off to her house too. Her mother would get worried when she learned her daughter had skipped school for part of the day.

"Hay Lin, your parents will be so glad you're safe," smiled Yan Lin.

"I'm glad to be back grandma," replied Hay Lin, "but what _should_ I tell my parents?"

"An art show?" exclaimed Mr. Lin.

"Yeah, up in the mountains," lied Hay Lin, "no cell phones allowed."

"But why didn't you tell us?" asked Mrs. Lin.

"I was going to, but," Hay Lin paused and inconspicuously whispered to her grandmother, "why _didn't_ I tell them?"

"You forgot and they were leaving in thirty seconds?" shrugged her grandmother.

"But I forgot that we were leaving that day, and I didn't have time," Hay Lin said. The smile she wore was the same one people put on when they know they're doing a bad job of lying.

"Hay Lin," frowned Mr. Lin, "you know that's not the reason you didn't tell us."

"But," stuttered Hay Lin.

"It's ok to be scared that we wouldn't have let you go dear," frowned Hay Lin's mother, "but you should have told _someone_ where you were going. We were so worried about you."

"Just go to your room, we'll talk about this after dinner," stated Mr. Lin. Yan Lin accompanied her granddaughter up the stairs and to her room. Hay Lin leaped through her door and landed on her bed.

"My bed, my own bed," sighed Hay Lin.

"Don't worry, I thought they took that rather well," smiled Yan Lin. Hay Lin nodded, smiling and cuddling her pillows, ready to sleep.

**---** **---**

Taking a deep breath, Irma walked up to her door. The afternoon sun beat down on the ground, warming the girl's back as she stood pondering her next move. She knew it was her house, but she felt unsure of whether to walk right in or ring the bell. A cool breeze rustled the bushes near her house and urged her onwards. Taking the knob in her hand, Irma opened the door and walked inside.

"Hello?" called Irma, "is anyone home?" The brunette heard pounding footsteps coming down the hallway and smiled. She closed the door, walked into the kitchen, saw Chris emerging from the bedrooms, and smiled. Chris saw his sister and paused; blinking a few times to be sure he wasn't seeing a mirage.

"Irma?" the boy asked. Irma nodded and felt tears come to her eyes. "IRMA!" cried Chris as he ran towards his sister. Irma bent over to greet him in a hug and finally felt her sisterly affection for her brother wash over her full force.

"Irma, where were you?" asked Chris, he lowered his voice when he heard their parents walk out of their room, "did you find one of those weird blue things?" Irma laughed and shook her head.

"Irma! You're back!" exclaimed Mrs. Lair. Irma was surrounded by her family as they welcomed her back home. The reason for her disappearance had been forgotten for the time being, only to brought up a few minutes later.

"So did you?" asked Chris again.

"No," Irma replied.

"Then where were you?" asked Chris.

"Yes Irma, where were you?" asked Mr. Lair. Irma sighed, she knew she had to tell her parents a story sooner or later, she had just hoped it would have been later.

"I," Irma began, "I had stayed after school, to set up the next day's songs for the radio, and didn't realize how late it had gotten. When I did leave, it was dark and some of the street lights weren't on, so I took the long way home… and I guess I got lost?" Irma looked up at her parents, hoping they'd buy her story. She hadn't gotten very far in coming up with a credible one on her walk home, and had had to improvise. The guardian of water smiled as her parents frowned at her tale; she still had one last trick up her sleeve. _You believe my story, you believe my story, you believe my story_, commanded Irma in her mind. Her parents both paused for a moment before her mother spoke up.

"Don't worry Irma, we believe you," she smiled.

"But next time call us if you need a ride home," frowned Mr. Liar.

"What?! You believe her!" exclaimed Chris.

"Of course Chris, aren't you glad to have your sister home?" asked Mrs. Liar. Chris frowned and walked out of the room.

"Let's have dinner," suggested Irma's father. _It's good to be home_, thought Irma.

**--- ---**

Taranee pushed open her front door. The broken window had been fixed and the ripped furniture replaced. All signs that a fight had broken out were gone, or so Taranee thought. Pushing her glasses higher onto her nose, Taranee noticed the wooden floor had a scorch mark. The couch was pushed over it, but a bit of the blackened floor peaked out, reminding Taranee of what had happened.

"Hello!" called Taranee. He voice echoed in the house, sending chills up her spine, she didn't want to think that no one was home.

"Hang on!" called Peter's voice.

"Peter!" smiled Taranee. She rushed up the stairs and into his room. His music was blaring at the loudest the poor stereo could handle. Peter grabbed for the volume button on the music when he heard the door open and let Taranee inside.

"I was gonna turn it down Mom," Peter explained. He turned around to face who he thought was his mother, instead he saw his younger sister.

"Taranee!" Peter exclaimed. He dropped his basketball and embraced his sister, squeezing the life out of her.

"Peter, it's good to see you too, but I can't breathe," gasped Taranee.

"Sorry," blushed her brother, "Taranee where have you been!" Peter sat down on his bed and watched his sister pull at the loose threads on her shirt.

"You wouldn't believe me-" Taranee mumbled.

"Mom and Dad have been searching for you _everywhere_," continued Peter. Taranee sighed, a smile returning to her face. _I'm back now_, she smiled. Walking into her bedroom, the guardian of fire collapsed onto her bed, ready for a nap. She'd need to think of an excuse for being gone so long.

--- ---

Cornelia entered the elevator and rode it up to her level. Unlocking her front door, she entered the house. While the others girls had come home to empty rooms, Cornelia was not so lucky.

"Cornelia," breathed Mrs. Hale. Cornelia's mother stood and embraced her daughter, "you don't know how much you've been missed!"

"Mom," Cornelia sighed, returning the hug. A purring broke Cornelia's thoughts free, glancing down she saw Napoleon rubbing his head against her leg. Her mother let her go and Cornelia reached down to pick up the black cat.

"Oh Lillian, come here, your sister's home!" cried Mrs. Hale. Thundering came from the bedrooms and Lillian appeared, running down the hallway.

"Cornelia!" smiled Lillian.

"I missed you," laughed Cornelia.

"Really?" asked Lillian, eyes sparkling. Cornelia nodded and hugged her little sister tighter.

"What happened Cornelia?" asked Mrs. Hale, "we woke up hearing you scream. When we came into the living room, the glass had been broken and you were gone. The police suggested a robbery which could have turned into a kidnapping." Her mother was worried at what news her daughter would bring.

"They were right," sighed Cornelia, her own story made far less sense.

"What?" exclaimed Mrs. Hale.

"I heard someone open the balcony door and went to investigate. I found the robber, and scared him outside. Once on the balcony he found he had nowhere to go and I threw one of our… potted plants at him, but it hit the window and broke it. Then I tried to run back inside, but he grabbed me and drove away. After we were driving for a while I finally escaped and tried to find my way home, which I finally did," lied Cornelia. Elaborating on this story was far easier than making up one of her own.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe at home now," smiled Mrs. Hale. Cornelia smiled as well, letting her mother and sister hug her.

--- ---

Matt pushed open the door to his house. He knew everyone would be home at this time and walked right into the living room where his family was gathered. A hushed silence fell over his parents and grandfather as they tried to make sense of what they were seeing.

"Matt?" asked Mrs. Olsen.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad, that flight was awful," joked Matt. He had decided to tell his parents he had gone for the exchange program, flown to South America, figured out it was bogus, and couldn't get a flight back until today.

"Matt, where have you been?" asked his father.

"In South America," Matt replied. He took a seat on the couch next to his grandfather.

"But we… that exchange program-" stuttered his mother.

"Was a fake, yeah, I know," sighed Matt, "How was Mr. Huggles?"

"Fine, he was just fine," mumbled Matt's grandfather.

"Are you sure you'll alright?" asked Matt's mother.

"Yeah, I'm happy to be home though," smiled Matt. He laughed and decided in his head that if the rock star thing did not work out, he could always be an actor.

--- ---

Will dug through her old jewelry box, searching. The heart stood on her dresser, glowing faintly, resting after its mission with Will. Smiling, Will pulled a silver chain free from the others and examined it. The plain necklace had long since lost the golden star pendant which had been attached to it. Threading the chain through the opening on the heart where the old string had been attached, Will secured it, holding up the finished product. Hopefully, this new chain wouldn't give out as the other had done. Placing the heart over her head and around her neck, she was glad everything had worked out. Everyone was back at home, safe and happy.

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Episode 20 done! Up next is **Episode 21 (A Helping Heart) **How'd you like it? Finally another long one! Reviews make me happy, well mostly... : ) 


	21. A Helping Heart

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** --Check out Faris' picture on my deviant art account!(see porfile for link)—I might put more up as well.

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**Episode 21 (A Helping Heart)**

Moonlight filtered in through the windows and fell onto the frog printed bed. The girl pulled the covers over her head, shielding the light from reaching her face. A sound as silent as the wind wove its way around the room. The alarm clock made no sound, the house was silent, nothing stirred within its calm interior. Yet to the sleeping girl the sound was unbearable. As she woke, she clicked on the light to her bedroom, chasing away the darkness. The shrill ringing pierced through her head like a dog whistle, except she could hear it clearly. She turned and glanced at her clock, 4:21 AM.

"Be quiet," mumbled a half-conscious Will to no one. She blinked her brown eyes and glared at her alarm clock.

"Don't look at me," it said, "I haven't rung yet!" Will groaned. She would never be able to get back to sleep with that racket. The sound reverberated around the room, making it difficult to even pinpoint the location where the noise was coming from. Will got out of bed, checking her cell phone to make sure it wasn't on vibrate and ringing, but it was motionless. Just as soon as it started, the ringing fell silent. Smiling, Will collapsed back onto her bed, dismissing the sound as something from outside. She closed her eyes, turned off the lights, fell back asleep.

"I wish everyone would stop asking us if we feel better," frowned Cornelia. The girls stood outside the school, enjoying the warm sunshine of the spring.

"Sorry," smiled Will, "I kinda said you guys had the chicken pox."

"Me, the chicken pox, get real," Cornelia stated.

"You'd look great with them Corny," laughed Irma, "red spots everywhere-"

"You'd look like a red Dalmatian!" interrupted Hay Lin. The two girls burst out laughing, falling to ground when they could not breathe.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Cornelia scowled.

"Come on you guys, the bell's gonna ring any second, let's go," Taranee announced. As they walked up the steps to the school, Will paused.

"Aren't you coming Will?" asked Taranee. The other three girls walked into the school and dissolved into the crowd. Will stood still, staring into space, listening. She had heard the ringing again.

"Taranee, do you hear something?" asked Will. The bell rang and Taranee replied.

"Yeah, if we don't get inside I'll hear my teacher yelling at me about how I'm late."

"No, do you hear something now?" questioned Will.

"No," Taranee responded, "hurry, let's go." Will nodded and tried to listen for it again, but as she walked into the school the noise dissipated. _This is so weird,_ thought Will. She hurried into school and off to her math class.

The bell rang and released the school from first period. Irma met Will in the hall near her locker, and the two girls walked to their English class. They sat down at their seats and wondered if the test that was scheduled for today would be changed, since their teacher was absent. Their substitute teacher was an ancient, old lady with wrinkles as deep as the Grand Canyon. As the final bell rang and the last students filled their seats, she stood and addressed the class.

"Your teacher left your tests on his desk with a note saying you would take them," she stated, beginning to pass out the tests, "I will have you know that I will not tolerate any noise, of any kind, while you children are taking your tests."

"Children?" mouthed Irma, "how old does she think we are, six?" Will laughed and passed back the stack of tests which came to her.

"If I hear any talking, whispering, coughing, pencil tapping, sniffling, or any other noises, I will assume you are cheating and you will receive a zero," their substitute announced. Irma raised her eyebrows. One of the boys in the back of the room raised his hand and the lady called on him.

"Um, how could we be cheating if we're, you know, just tapping a pencil?" he asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" snapped the teacher, "but you kids have strange ways of cheating these days, and I don't trust any of you delinquents. Now start your tests!" A wave of silence swept over the room. Some of the students caught themselves tapping their feet or about to yawn and stopped themselves before it was too late. After twenty minutes had past, no one had yet to turn in a test.

Will paused, the room was silent, yet she heard ringing. Glancing up towards the desk where their _babysitter_ sat with her face in a book, Will wondered if she had heard the sound as well. No one else had looked up from their tests to see where the ringing was emitting from, puzzling Will even more. She glanced sideways at Irma. The brunette was writing down a sentence on her paper, adding a comma or two as she finished.

Putting her pencil down and grabbing her test, Will walked to the front of the room and turned it in. As she sat back in her seat, the vibrating grew louder and higher pitched. Will pressed her hands to her ears, trying to muffle the sound out. Squeezing her eyes closed, Will laid her head down on her desk. She was so busy trying to concentrate on silencing the ringing, she didn't notice the substitute get up and hover over to her. Will felt a hand on her back and jumped up.

"Do you need to see the nurse?" asked the teacher, her tone sounded more annoyed then before.

"Yeah," muttered Will. The substitute frowned and wrote Will a pass.

"You won't pass out will you?" she asked.

"I'll help her," offered Irma as she handed her test.

"Ok, just get out of the room, you're disturbing the rest of your classmates," snapped the sub. Irma and Will hurried from the room and closed the door behind them.

"Will, what's wrong?" asked Irma. Will leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.

"It's nothing, I just keep hearing this really strange ringing, and no one else can," replied Will.

"Really?" asked Irma, "do you know where it's coming from?"

"No, but wherever I go it seems to follow me," explained Will, she closed her eyes, "there it is again." Irma looked around; she found nothing that would be making a ringing noise in the hallway. She closed her teal eyes for a second to think and suddenly heard the sound Will was complaining about.

"Will, I hear it," whispered Irma, "what is it?" Will shrugged and paused, her hand reached up and found the silver chain she had attached to the heart. Gently, she pulled the crystal into the light, her eyes widening with surprise.

"It's the heart," mumbled Will.

"What does it mean?" asked Irma. The two girls watched the heart glow and pulse with the rhythm of the ringing. Will opened her mouth but was interrupted by the bell and other students flooding out of classrooms. Irma and Will moved aside from the flood of students and watched them all pass. Will caught Taranee as she walked by and pulled her into the less crowded hall with them. Hay Lin and Cornelia rounded the curve a second later and stopped with the others. As the crowds died down, the clock told them they still had five minutes before they had to be in class.

"You guys," Will began, "the heart is acting kinda strange."

"What do you mean?" asked Hay Lin.

"It's like an alarm clock of death, it never stops ringing," joked Irma.

"No really, what's wrong?" asked Cornelia, ignoring Irma's dry humor.

"The heart just keeps buzzing," Will said, "only guardians must be able to hear it. No one else in my class heard anything, but it was giving me a headache!"

"Why would it act like that?" asked Taranee.

"Maybe my grandma would know," suggested Hay Lin.

"It's the best answer we have," sighed Will.

The five girls walked into the Silver Dragon, searching for the ex guardian of air. The bell on the door chimed and alerted the restaurant and its occupants to their presence. The restaurant was filled with late lunch eaters and early dinner customers, all attempting to eat with chopsticks and dropping food onto their laps.

"Grandma," called Hay Lin once they walked into the backroom, shouldering her bag. Smiling, Yan Lin emerged from the door.

"Hello girls," she smiled.

"Grandma, the Heart-"

"Hush, not here," instructed Yan Lin, her eyes darted to the cooks and Hay Lin's parents who were still in the room.

"Sorry," mumbled Hay Lin, covering her mouth with her hands. The girls and Yan Lin left the kitchen and walked into the Lin house. Cornelia and Taranee sat on the stairs while Hay Lin leaped onto the banister. Irma leaned against the wall while Will stood in the center of the rug at the base of stairs. Yan Lin shut the door to the kitchen and turned to the girls.

"So," she stated.

"The heart, it's acting strange," Will told her. She removed the necklace from around her neck and held it in the air. It began vibrating and ringing again.

"Oh, can't you stop it?" asked Cornelia, covering her ears.

"That won't help girls; you're hearing it _inside_ your heads," explained Yan Lin, she watched the girls remove their hands from their ears, frowning.

"Why is it acting like this?" asked Taranee.

"I don't know," sighed Yan Lin, "I only know of one instance when the Heart of Candracar was in this state of unease."

"When?" asked Irma.

"The day you girls were told of your powers," Yan Lin replied.

"So," Hay Lin said.

"Does it mean there are new guardians now?" asked Irma.

"I doubt it, but it would be best to take it up with the Oracle," Yan Lin stated. Will nodded and opened a fold to Candracar in the hallway. The girls transformed and flew through the fold; they landed in the fortress and walked into the main room. Yan Lin followed them through the fold; it closed after she stepped through. The girls soon found the Oracle and the others. Hay Lin noticed she had brought her bag and set it down near one of the pillars.

"Welcome girls, and Yan Lin," greeted the Oracle. The other members nodded in greeting as well, "you have come for a reason, no doubt?"

"Yes Oracle," replied Will, she held out the Heart of Candracar for him to see, "the heart is acting strange, I wanted to know why."

"You haven't replaced us have you?" asked Irma. The Oracle chuckled.

"No girls," he said, "the heart is simply responding to it's keeper."

"What do you mean?" asked Will, "it can't be just that."

"Will, the Heart of Candracar has come to know you better then it knew any of its previous keepers, it shares in the success and defeats with you." Will released a sigh of relief, smiling at the heart contently.

"You guys, look!" she exclaimed. The girls turned to Will and saw the heart sparkling and changing colors. It transitioned from pink to purple and rested at a deep blue.

"What's it doing?" asked Irma.

"The heart is trying to help," the Oracle explained.

"By matching her outfit?" asked Cornelia, "sure, that's handy."

"No, it's alerting you to a threat on another world," the Oracle replied.

"How does it know?" asked Taranee.

"Candracar is at the center of infinity," Yan Lin said, "therefore the Heart of Candracar is the power center connecting the other worlds together."

"Correct," nodded the Oracle.

"So, when you say _worlds_," Irma asked.

"How many do you mean?" finished Hay Lin.

"There are twenty different worlds with living beings linked _directly_ to, and spaced around Candracar. You girls know of four already; Earth, Meridian, Zamballa, and Rokador," the Oracle stated.

"But why did the heart turn blue?" asked Will.

"It is telling you _what_ world is in danger," the Oracle explained.

"But why didn't the heart tell us this before?" asked Taranee, "it would have been easier to know when Meridian was in danger."

"The closer the keeper and heart become, the more power exists between them," the Oracle answered.

"How do we know which world the heart is referring to?" asked Cornelia.

"I will tell you what all the colors correspond to after you return. Now, you are headed to the world of oceans, Korayol," the Oracle replied, "good luck guardians."

"But we've never been there," Hay Lin stated, "how can Will fold us there?"

"The heart will guide you," replied the Oracle. The girls watched him walk away, returning to the others. Turning to Will, the four girls watched as she held out the heart. It bathed Will's face in blue light, making her hair appear purple.

"Um," Will mumbled, she wondered how to fold to this new world, but did not have to think too hard. The second the world's name entered her mind, the heart leaped into the air and opened one of its customary blue folds in the air. Looping the heart back over her neck, Will led the girls through it.

The guardians appeared on the other side of the fold, but instead of landing on ground they splashed into a large body of water. Sputtering and splashing, the five guardians surfaced and looked around. Emerging from the water, they saw that the ocean extended past the horizon in each direction.

"Where are we?" asked Hay Lin, rising into the air. She blew the water out of her skirt and looked around.

"This must be Korayol," Will answered.

"So, where's the danger?" asked Irma.

"Yeah, there's nothing here," said Taranee. Cornelia flew off a few hundred feet, making a circle around the girls.

"Hey!" called Cornelia, "I see something!" The others flew towards her, searching for what she could see over the horizon.

"Where?" asked Hay Lin, "I can't see anything."

"Look out there!" pointed Cornelia. She pointed at the horizon where the water met the sky. The sun sparkled against the sea, but the water was dark where the girls' attention was directed. They flew towards the dark shapes, growing in size every second.

"They're ships!" called Hay Lin. Sounds of fighting filled the air, swords clashing, arrows flying.

"Who's fighting?" asked Irma. Swooping down, the guardians surveyed the battle below. The two ships floated in the ocean, side by side. One was constructed of bright red wood, while the other seemed to be made of a material similar to coral.

"There's Faris!" pointed Taranee. The guardians hovered over the scene, wondering what was going on. The red ship was swarming with Rokadorian soldiers, they carried with them swords and shields, just as Yan Lin had explained to them, knights without horses.

The people they were fighting against seemed as though they were part fish. They had scaled patches on their skin and were all different colors. As the girls got closer, they saw that the ship the fish people were atop was not a ship at all, but a large floating chunk of orange coral.

"We have to help them!" exclaimed Hay Lin. The others nodded and flew down into the battle. The ocean dwelling people drew back at the sight of the girls, but calmed when they watched them fight against the Rokadorians. Watching the soldiers below them, the girls attacked. Irma sent wave after wave breaking against the prince's ship, carrying many of the winged soldiers into the ocean. Once in the water, the people of Korayol dove in and attacked. They fought with more primitive weapons then the Rokadorian army, using shells and rocks to batter the troops.

Taranee blasted the ship with fireballs, lighting the canvas sails ablaze. Cornelia, being at a loss of her element, telekinetically commanded the coils of rope from the sails to twist around the soldiers still on deck. Once they were tangled, they were swept into the water and pummeled with clam shells. Irma found their plight amusing and laughed when she saw what the fish people were doing to them.

A shrill whiney erupted from the deck of the ship. A black figure leaped into the sky, knocking Hay Lin into the ocean below. Splashing into the water, the air guardian emerged and faced what had toppled her. Faris rode atop his black winged horse, hovering in the air. The horse rose higher, flapping its massive black wings evenly. Hay Lin waved a small twister towards it, but horse and rider swerved out of its way and charged her. The horse ran through the air, galloping closer to Hay Lin with each wing beat. The guardian of air dove down towards the water and the horse followed just as she had hoped.

"Irma!" called Hay Lin, a smile appearing on her face. Irma heard her call, whipped around to face them, and called up a jet of water from the ocean; knocking the flying horse and rider into the foaming water.

"Got ya!" laughed Irma. Faris and his horse burst free of the water, flying into the air. Streams of water cascaded from both the horse's and Faris' wings, tumbling back into the ocean. The prince surveyed the scene, watching the five guardians advance on him in the air. He frowned and leaped from his horse's back, hanging in the air near the water. The girls watched as he crossed his wing tips in front of him, then suddenly jerked them back. A red fold appeared in front of him; half submerged in the ocean, half above it.

"They're escaping!" Hay Lin called.

"Let them," sighed Cornelia. Will nodded in agreement and watched the fold close after the battered ship sped through it. The waterlogged soldiers had disappeared through the fold as well. Cheering and singing, the people of Korayol celebrated.

The girls flew down, landed on the large chunk of coral, and watched them dance. Up close the guardians saw these people had arms and legs like they did, but they were fully coated in scales. They had two long fins on each arm and leg, most likely to improve their swimming in the water. The creatures finally approached the girls and gave them their thanks in defeating the enemy. The girls heard a chorus of singsong voices echoing in the air, the sounds were beautiful. As the people of the water finished, they dove into the ocean without a second glance.

When the island was empty, Cornelia pointed to the center. A sparkling mirror of water was at the very middle of the coral. The girls looked over it, seeing their reflections.

"Weird," Taranee said.

"Yeah, what do you think it is?" asked Irma.

"Water?" smiled Hay Lin.

"No, really?" Irma frowned. The girls each peered deeper into the pool, pondering it's use.

"Why would the Rokadorian army come here?" asked Will, looking around, "there's nothing to see or do." Irma and Hay Lin turned away from the pool and watched the sun over the water. Will paced back and forth, stopping and looking into the mirror of liquid once more. Taranee joined Hay Lin and Irma on the coral.

"Look!" pointed Cornelia. The three other girls scurried to the water's edge, peering inside.

"Wow," Irma mumbled, "it's like seeing into the future."

"Cool," smiled Hay Lin. The girls watched themselves in the water. They had aged beyond their twenties, yet they were flying, still guardians. The images dropped into the pool and dissolved.

"Did Faris see his future?" asked Taranee, "maybe that's why he came to this world."

"But why would those fish people attack him if he just wanted to use their magic water?" asked Cornelia. None of the girls could come up with a sensible solution, so they dropped the topic. Will opened a fold and they journeyed back to Candracar. There they were greeted by the Oracle, Yan Lin, and Helinor.

"You were successful, I presume?" smiled the Oracle.

"The people of Korayol are safe," Irma replied, speaking with mock seriousness.

"Good, now we can continue," the Oracle stated.

"Continue what?" asked Cornelia.

"I was telling you about the different worlds. Each world has a different color, or set of colors, that the heart will change to alert you of it being in danger," the Oracle spoke.

"Hang on just a second," Hay Lin commented. She scurried over to her bag and pulled out her sketchbook and a pencil. "Please continue."

"For Earth, the heart will turn blue and green, the colors of your world. If Meridian is in danger, the heart will change to white, for Zamballa it will be purple. If Rokador is ever in danger of attack the heart will glow red, and if Candracar itself is in danger, the heart will change to a deeper pink then it already is," the Oracle explained. Hay Lin finished recording his words and looked to the others to see if they understood him as she had.

"But, you had said there were twenty worlds, what about the other fifteen?" asked Taranee.

"Yes, there are other worlds," the Oracle smiled, "The planet of oceans, Korayol, will change the heart to deep blue. The world of night and darkness, Nocti, will be black." He continued naming the worlds and their color combinations until he had finished; Hay Lin scribbled down the last world and its color.

"There, I think I have them all," she smiled. The girls gathered around the list and checked it over.

"Thank you," nodded Will. The council returned her nod and retreated back into the fortress.

"Time to go home," smiled Will. She opened a fold back to Heatherfield, leading the guardians and Yan Lin back home.

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Episode 21 done! Up next is **Episode 22 (Crying Wolf) **So, more worlds. They _are_ the guardians of the infinite dimensions, so there has to be other worlds to protect. The girls will visit some in the next episode… 


	22. Crying Wolf

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** I am so sorry for the delay, I would put an excuse in here, but you wouldn't care and I still won't be able to forgive myself. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about this story, only four more chapters after this. I think Episode 25 and 26 are both going to be the season finale.

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**Episode 22 (Crying Wolf)**

The spring weather had finally leveled out; the sun had warmed the town to a comfortable temperature in the sixties. Looking out the window, Susan sipped some coffee from her favorite mug. It was the Friday before spring break would begin, and Will would be arriving home from school anytime now. The mail truck drove by on the street, depositing the mail for the building in the box by the gate.

Slipping on a pair of shoes, Mrs. Vandom walked outside to retrieve the mail. She unlocked the box and pulled out a small pile of envelopes. Picking through them, she sighed as she counted off four letters containing bills and payments due. Mrs. Vandom saw her daughter round the corner and walk up the sidewalk. Smiling to each other, they walked back into the building.

"It's nice the weather is finally acting like spring," smiled Will, taking a seat on the couch. Mrs. Vandom nodded and walked over to the table, tripping over an empty bowl on the ground. She frowned and picked it up, putting it in the sink. She had given up on finding Mel days ago after she had been missing for a month. Will had told her not to worry, the two of them were better off without her. Susan ripped open the first letter and read through the phone bill. Will walked over into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, riffling the food inside.

"Do we have any bread?" asked Will, digging through the cabinets after her search of the frig turned up nothing.

"I think I put it in the drawer by the toaster," sighed Will's mother. She opened the last envelope, hoping it was not another bill. "So, what are your friends doing over spring break?"

"Everyone's leaving. Cornelia's off to Hawaii with her family," Will explained.

"That should be nice," replied Susan absentmindedly.

"Irma's heading down to Mexico, Taranee's visiting family in another state, and Hay Lin finally convinced her parents to take a vacation to Florida," Will informed her mother, putting a piece of bread in the toaster. Mrs. Vandom nodded and reread the piece of mail she held in her hands.

"Why didn't we go anywhere this year for break?" asked Will. She turned and faced her mother, "Mom?" Susan's mouth hung open slightly, forming a large smile as she read through the fine print at the bottom of the letter.

"Mom?" asked Will again, looking over her shoulder and reading the letter. "No way! Is it real? Can we go?"

"Do you want to?" asked her mother.

"Yeah," smiled Will, her mother mirrored the grin.

"Then we can go," she agreed.

"But what's the catch?" asked Will, grabbing for the letter. She read through the paper as her mother had done. "Only valid in the continental United States, must be a legal resident to retrieve value. Must be used between 3/20 and 3/27 of the year 2007. Only valid if used by a nonmember for a five day stay. It sounds good to me."

Will and Susan packed for the rest of the afternoon. Will's previous plans of going to the pool were put off as she thought about the vacation her mother had won. After Will read the letter, she had asked about it and why her mother had received it. Her mother's response had been she entered a contest at work and apparently won the grand prize. The prize was a trip to Creek Spring Spa in Creekview, an hour's drive to the north of Heatherfield. Will learned the spa was supposed to be the best in the country.

After a quick dinner, Will and her mother packed the car with their suitcases and climbed in. Susan turned on the car lights and drove off. The rush hour traffic had cleared and the dark highway was empty.

Will sat watching the billboards go by in the dark, thinking about what the other girls were doing at the moment. She could imagine that Cornelia and her family were already at the airport, boarding a plane to fly to Hawaii. Hay Lin was probably packing; she would not leave until tomorrow morning. Irma had left school early to catch the plane, so she was most likely already in Mexico, enjoying the nightlife and fighting with Chris. Taranee would be at home the longest. She had told them all that her family wasn't leaving Heatherfield until Sunday afternoon.

Smiling, Will watched the city's lights fade into the dark. It had been so long since her mother and her had taken a vacation for just the two of them. Her mother was so busy with her job at Simultec, and Will had other worries on her mind. The car pulled off the highway, driving towards a beautiful building set into a hill.

"We're here," announced Susan. Will glanced towards the building. The sidewalk which led up to it wove through a small garden of flowers, over a creek, and up to the main entrance. They walked inside the sliding doors and up to the front desk where Susan presented the letter. The receptionist welcomed them with a bright smile and escorted them to one of the suites overlooking the lake behind the building. They settled into their condo like room, unpacked, and fell asleep.

**--- ---**

The green rollercoaster car came to a halt, releasing the passengers and taking in the next group. Hay Lin pulled her parents into the front row of the car and adjusted the bar across their laps.

"Are you sure you want to ride _this_ one, Hay Lin?" asked Mr. Lin.

"Yes, you've asked me like a hundred times for the last hour," Hay Lin sighed, "Wee, it's starting!" The car lurched forward and began its climb up the chain lift to the peak. Excitement coursed through Hay Lin's body; she felt her father tensing next to her, preparing for the big drop.

The track leveled out and the rollercoaster car followed the semicircle laid out in front of it. The train dropped down the seventy degree slope, accelerating each second it rolled forward. Smiling and screaming with joy, Hay Lin felt the familiar weightlessness feeling she loved. The coaster train went through a corkscrew and over another hill before doubling back and weaving in and out of the previous section of track. As the rollercoaster arrived back in the station, Hay Lin had to help her parents out of the car in away from the building.

"Time for a break," smiled Mrs. Lin, hiding her feelings of nausea. Hay Lin's mother pulled her husband daughter into an air-conditioned restaurant and disappeared, looking for the restroom. Hay Lin felt her pocket begin to vibrate. She pulled out her phone, checked the caller Id, and excused herself from the table. Hurrying outside, Hay Lin answered Will's call.

"Hey Will," she replied into the phone.

"You won't believe what happened to my mom," said Will's voice.

"She was kidnapped by mogriffs?" guessed Hay Lin.

"No," laughed Will, "she won a contest and won a free trip to Creek Springs Spa for her and me!"

"Wow, don't tell Cornelia," giggled Hay Lin.

"So how's your trip?" asked Will when she stopped laughing.

"Great, but I think my parents and the rides aren't getting along too well," responded Hay Lin. Will was silent on the other end of the line. A moment later, static filled the phone as Will tried to speak.

"What!" called Hay Lin, "I can't hear you!" The static ceased and Will's voice boomed through the phone's speaker.

"The heart!" she shouted. She lowered her voice back to its normal volume, "its glowing black."

"Another world is in danger," Hay Lin gasped.

"But which one?" asked Will, "I didn't bring the list with me."

"Black… Black," mumbled Hay Lin, thinking, "Oh, Nocti!"

"What?" asked Will.

"The world, I remember," Hay Lin smiled, "Nocti, the world of night and darkness. Not a very original name though." Silence entered the conversation.

"What are we going to do?" asked Will, "everyone can't fly back to Heatherfield so we can fold to this new world."

"We could try telatransporting," suggested Hay Lin, "then we would only disappear for a few hours, and come back without being missed."

"We could try it," Will stated, "you call Irma and Taranee, I'll tell Cornelia. We can meet in the Silver Dragon basement. Remember to explain to them _how_ to telatransport."

"Ok," Hay Lin agreed and ended the call. As she stuffed her phone back into her pocket, her mother and father walked out of the restaurant.

"Hay Lin, we're heading back to the hotel, you're mother doesn't feel well," instructed Mr. Lin.

"But Dad, can't I stay and ride one more ride?" begged Hay Lin, hoping to ditch her parents. Mr. Lin looked from his pleading daughter to his wife, struggling to make a decision.

"One ride, but keep your phone on," he commanded, "I'll call you when we get back to the hotel.

"Thank you so much Dad!" smiled Hay Lin, hugging her father. She darted behind the restaurant and pulled her phone out once more. She dialed Taranee's number and explained to the guardian of fire the plan. Taranee understood and found an excuse to get out the house and walk to the restaurant. Hay Lin told her to meet the others in the basement of Silver Dragon; her grandmother would let her in.

When Taranee hung up, Hay Lin called Irma. After filling her in on the plan as well, Hay Lin tried to explain to her how to telatransport. Her knowledge of the actual process was fuzzy, but she tried to explain what she knew. Irma promised Hay Lin she would meet the other girls in a few minutes and hung up.

Stuffing the phone in her pocket, she hoped her dad would not call her for a while. Closing her eyes, Hay Lin imagined herself in her basement and concentrated. For a moment she did not feel any different and started to panic, but then in a flash of light, she was gone. Hay Lin opened her eyes to darkness. She reached out her hand and knocked something over in the dark.

"Who's in there?" asked the surprised voice of Taranee. Light flooded into the space Hay Lin had telatransported herself into.

"Hey Taranee," smiled Hay Lin. She tripped over the broom that had been knocked over and stumbled into the basement. "It worked!"

"Where is everyone else?" asked Taranee.

"They should be coming," Hay Lin replied, sitting on the cot against the wall. The two girls waited for a few minutes until they saw a flash of light, and Irma materialize out of thin air. Seconds after Irma appeared, Will telatransported, landing in the center of the room.

"Hey girls," she smiled, "where's Cornelia?"

"She's not here yet," Taranee replied, she paused when she heard muffled sounds coming from the wall.

"What is that?" asked Irma, pressing her ear to the wall.

"You guys, I think Cornelia's _in_ the wall!" Hay Lin gasped. The basement wall shuddered and slid forward. Cornelia walked out frowning.

"Never again," she hissed, "now, what's _so_ important that I'm missing sitting on the beach in Hawaii for?" Will held up the heart so the girls could all see it. The usually pink Heart of Candracar glowed pitch black.

"We're going to Nocti, the planet of night," announced Will, "Guardians Unite!" The heart changed back to pink as they transformed, then folded them into the black world of Nocti.

"Taranee, want to give us some light?" asked Irma. Taranee nodded, forming a few floating balls of flame to light the way. The fire illuminated the landscape; a thick dark forest surrounded them on all sides.

"Where's Faris?" asked Hay Lin.

"We're going to have to look for him," sighed Taranee. The girls walked through the forest, searching, listening, hoping they would find the army, and not the other way around. They came to a clearing and smiled as the moon bathed their faces with light. The tall prairie grasses swayed with the gentle night wind, rustling around the girls. A shadow crossed the moon above them, swooping lower until the figure landed a few hundred yards away.

"Is that him?" asked Irma.

"It can't be," Taranee responded, "look at the way its walking." Ready to attack, the five guardians watched the being come closer at a brisk jog. More shadows joined it from the surrounding forest.

"I don't think that's Faris," replied Cornelia. The girls agreed and watched the moonlight fall onto the creature in front of them. It hissed at them, opening its wings to try and scare them off.

"I told you to leave," ordered the creature. Folding his wings back onto his back, the creature walked forward towards the girls. The five guardians noticed the winged creature had a barn owl's face and beak, yet its body was built like a wild cat's. It was similar to the griffons of the fantasy books and movies on Earth.

Shocked the creature could speak, and not willing to tangle with its claws and beak, the guardians nodded. Will opened a fold to home, disappearing through it with the others. They changed back and looked to each other.

"What was that thing?" asked Hay Lin.

"I don't think that world needs our help," Irma replied, "those things had it under control."

"But Faris was there," Will said, "apparently he left as well when he found them. Otherwise, why would they tell us they've told us to leave before? They must have thought we were with him."

"That was a complete waste of time," Cornelia sighed, "now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to the beach."

The water parted as Will dove in, swimming back and forth in the lap pool. She had only returned a few minutes ago, but decided to catch up on her swimming. The lap pool was empty; most of the people at the spa were eating lunch in the café near the gardens. Touching the pool wall, Will stopped to catch her breath. She saw her mom walk over and pulled herself out of the water.

"There you are Will," Mrs. Vandom smiled. She sat down next to her daughter and watched the pool calm to a wave less mirror. "Have you been here for the past hour?"

"I was taking a nap in one of the hammocks by the lake," lied Will.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," smiled Susan. Will returned the smile and continued swimming laps.

**--- ---**

"_Taranee. Taranee, wake up!"_ Her brown eyes flicked open. She stared into the darkness of the room where she was sleeping in her aunt's house. She flipped her lights on, careful not to disturb her cousin in the bed opposite of hers, and grabbed her glasses.

"_Taranee!"_ _screamed Will's voice in her head._

"_Will?" asked Taranee._

"_Good, you're up. The heart's glowing again, this time it's silver," Will explained._

"_Are we meeting now?" asked Taranee._

"_At the Silver Dragon, tell the others," Will said._ Taranee clicked off the light and walked into the hallway towards the stairs. She heard her brother snoring in the room across from where she was sleeping and was glad she had shut the door. Hoping for the best, Taranee telatransported from the attic hallway of her aunt's house to Heatherfield's Silver Dragon. She appeared in the bathtub of the second story bathroom in Hay Lin's house.

Taranee walked down the stairs into the basement, contacting the others with her telepathy. She had just finished speaking with everyone when Will appeared.

"Did you tell everyone?" asked Will. She pulled out a piece of paper and read through the list.

"Yeah, they should be here soon. What's that?" asked Taranee.

"The list Hay Lin wrote," Will responded, "it says silver means Tehgem, the world of technology and metal." A blinding flash interrupted the conversation; Hay Lin and Cornelia appeared in front of them. A crash in the kitchen told them that Irma had also arrived. The guardian of water opened the basement door and walked down the stairs, still wearing a pot on her head which had fallen from over the sink.

"Ready?" asked Will. Irma pulled the pot of her head and nodded. "Guardians Unite!" The girls transformed and watched Will open a fold to Tehgem, the world supposedly in danger from attack by Faris.

They appeared on the top of a tall building overlooking a city. The buildings were elevated high above the clouds, and nothing linked them together but sky. Hay Lin leaped into the air and looked around, searching for Faris or any part of his army.

"Look, someone's coming," pointed Irma. The girls saw a person appear from over the side of the roof they were standing on. He hovered for a second, and then landed, turning off the jet pack which had propelled him in the air. It might have been the reflections from all the metal buildings, but in the light, the man's skin looked a light shade of blue.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, a frown forming on his face.

"Have you seen a boy, about eighteen, with black wings?" asked Will.

"Are you with him?" asked the blue man, his frown deepened.

"No," replied Cornelia.

"We're trying to protect you _from_ him," added Irma.

"Oh," commented the man, "well we don't need any protecting, he's gone."

"Did he attack?" asked Taranee, "why did he come here?"

"We don't know. A red time tunnel appeared and he walked through it. We stopped him and questioned him as to why he was here, but he attacked us, flew into the air, and disappeared through another tunnel he made in the air," explained the man with blue skin.

"So he didn't bring his army and didn't attack your world?" asked Hay Lin.

"Weird," sighed Taranee.

"Well thanks anyway," Will said, holding up the heart, "we should go you guys." The blue man watched them step through the blue fold and vanished. He flipped on his jet pack and flew into the air towards another building.

**--- ---**

The girls appeared in Hay Lin's basement and changed back.

"What is up with the heart Will?" asked Cornelia.

"I don't know," Will replied, "last time it was right, and we appeared just in time to help."

"But the heart's not wrong, Faris did go to that world, but he just left before we got there," Taranee added.

"But why?" asked Irma, "at least in Korayol he had that magic water to try and look into. But in Nocti and Tehgem? What would he need or want there?"

"Maybe," said Hay Lin, "he saw something in that pool of water and is trying to figure out which world has what he saw."

"Maybe," sighed Cornelia, "but if we have to follow him on his journey across every single world, I'm not interested." She turned around and telatransported out of the room.

"She sure knows how to make a point," Irma frowned.

--- ---

Cornelia appeared back in her room in the hotel. Lillian was still asleep as the sunrays seeped in through the window. She pulled open the sliding glass door and walked onto the balcony, surveying the ocean. The day would be great; if she was lucky she might have time to take a surfing lesson with one of those hot guys on the beach. She wandered back into the bedroom and laid down on her bed, closing her eyes for just a moment of rest.

"Cornelia!" laughed Lillian, jumping onto Cornelia's bed. The guardian of Earth opened her eyes and pushed her sister off her bed. "Mom says you have to take me to the beach, and your phone is ringing." Cornelia dove for her phone on the dresser, picking it up, and answering it. Lillian skipped out the room.

"Hello?" Cornelia answered.

"Cornelia, the heart is ringing again," replied Will, "it's glowing-"

"Will, do you want to keep folding to every world following Faris when he doesn't even attack?" asked Cornelia. Lillian poked her head back into the room.

"Who's Faris?" she asked.

"Go away!" Cornelia exclaimed, she slammed the door closed and locked Lillian out.

"Do you?" repeated Cornelia.

"No, but-" Will stuttered.

"Wait," Cornelia commanded, "there's your answer. Besides, we'll probably get there and he'll be gone anyway."

"You're probably right," Will sighed, "bye." The line disconnected and Cornelia turned off her cell phone. She opened the door and smiled at Lillian.

"Ready to go to the beach?" Cornelia asked. The frown on Lillian's face vanished as she jumped up and down in excitement. The two girls grabbed their things and walked out of the hotel and onto the beach below.

--- ---

The glowing blue, prison bars hummed slightly. The three guards on duty were fighting off fatigue in the late hours of the night, leaning on their weapons and resting their eyes. Caleb stood with the other guards, the only one truly awake in the darkness. A red fold appeared out of nowhere, illuminating the prison and the filled cells. Caleb pulled out his sword and brandished it in front of him, ready to fend off the invaders from Rokador.

The prince of the red world stepped through the fold, looking around and smiling as he entered the new world. The guards formed a semicircle sandwiching Faris between them and the red glittering fold.

"What a surprise," frowned Faris as he saw Caleb, he raised an eyebrow at the other guards.

"Leave Faris," ordered Caleb.

"That's Prince Faris to you, you spy," replied Faris. He leapt into the air, opening his black wings and soaring higher than the guards could reach. The prince pulled out his own sword and fought from the air, knocking the Lurden guards over the ledge of the platform and down a few stories to the ground. Caleb jumped onto the ledge, swinging his sword at Faris. The prince saw his last opponent and parried swords with him. The two fighters lashed out at each other, one from the air and the other from the ground. Caleb swung around and tried to knock Faris back to earth, but his sword met the steal of the other blade. The Prince of Rokador threw Caleb off, sending him tumbling over the ledge and falling to the ground below with the other guards.

Faris returned his sword to his belt and flew into the air. He searched the prison cells, looking for one face. The prisoners stepped forward to see the flying person hovering in front of their cells. Finally, Faris found the person he was looking for, the one Nerissa spoke with spite of, the one of equal birthright…

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Episode 22 done! Up next is **Episode 23 (The Princes' Attack) **Who does Faris find? Why? The girls pretty much just experience new worlds in this chapter, coming up with planet names is kinda hard. I'm going to try to put the next episode up quicker than this one, but they might come up one by one instead of in twos. I love great reviews… 


	23. The Princes' Attack

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

(The grammar might be slightly off in this chapter… Sorry, but it shouldn't be too distracting, I hope) My math teacther would love me for the application of math in this chapter...

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**Episode 23 (The Princes' Attack)**

The last bell of the day rang, releasing the students from their classrooms. The first day back from spring break had been unbearably long for every student. They rushed into the fresh April air, enjoying the sun. After the crowds had cleared, the five girls of _witch_ emerged from the school.

"I thought today would _never_ end," complained Irma.

"I know," agreed Cornelia.

"Well, at least we spent _most_ of spring break relaxing," Will said.

"Oh, has the heart decided to tell us anything else?" asked Hay Lin.

"It's been quiet," replied Will.

"That's good," Cornelia added. The girls walked away from the school and towards the Silver Dragon to grab some chocolate fortune cookies before they planned to study at Taranee's house. The bell of the restaurant announced their entrance.

"There they are," stated a voice from a table near the window.

"Hay Lin, girls, come here," called Yan Lin. She motioned them over to the table where she sat with two other people. The five girls walked over, saw who her tablemates were, and smiled. Elyon did not return their smiles; instead she closed her eyes and looked away.

"Elyon, what's wrong?" asked Cornelia, sliding into the booth next to her. Elyon slid into Caleb to make room for her guardian friend.

"Phobos," responded the fifteen-year-old queen.

"What?" asked Hay Lin, "did he get free?" Elyon nodded.

"How?" asked Taranee.

"Faris came and broke him out," responded Caleb, "he folded right into the prison and attacked the guards who were posted there."

"What!?" exclaimed Irma, "but the heart was supposed to-" She drifted off, looking at Will. Will stared at her feet, frowning. Cornelia also looked away from the girls, refusing to meet their eyes.

"Will… Cornelia?" asked Elyon.

"I knew a world was in danger," Will replied finally.

"But I didn't think it was yours!" cried Cornelia.

"You knew? And didn't tell us?" asked Taranee. Will nodded.

"But we can't worry about the past, Phobos is free and we have to get him back," Will stated.

"But why would Faris break Phobos out? How does Faris even know about him?" asked Hay Lin.

Taranee looked up at her math teacher as he wrote properties on the board. She copied them down into her notebook, glancing sideways at Irma; she saw the water guardian was happily gazing out the window. Listening carefully, Taranee recorded the example of the transitive property in her spiral.

"Now class, a real life application of this property would be if Sheffield's track team won against Creek south's team and Creek south's team beat Westmont's team, then, using the property we could come to a conclusion that our track team will most likely beat Westmont's," explained the teacher. Taranee copied down the example and paused. Flipping to a different page in her notebook, she wrote a, b, c each on a separate line. She then wrote down the property, if a b and b c, then a c. Pondering a moment longer, Taranee scribbled Faris next to a, Nerissa after b, and Phobos next to c. She substituted the equal signs for the phrase 'knows' and wondered if it could be true.

"_Irma, listen to this," said Taranee, "if Faris knows Nerissa, and Nerissa knows Phobos, then Faris _might_ know Phobos, or least hear about him at some point, right?"_

"_Wow, that makes sense," Irma agreed, "so that could work as how he knows him, but why would he free him?"_

"_Hm," replied Taranee, "I don't think math class can solve that."_

**--- ---**

Phobos watched the winged prince pace back and forth in front of him. After he had knocked out the guards watching over the prison, the boy had flown up to his cell, freeing him from the imprisonment. There he had created a red fold with his wings, a new experience to Phobos who had never seen a fold other then the color blue, or made without a seal or heart, and they walked through it. They had appeared here, in what appeared to be a meeting room, which could double as a throne room. Phobos scoffed at the castle, it was nowhere near as grand as his own back in Meridian, but he was not going to patronize the boy who had just freed him, at least not yet.

"So, who are you?" asked Phobos, rising from the throne he had taken a seat on. The boy stopped pacing and looked up at the Prince of Meridian.

"I am Faris, Prince of Rokador," replied Faris. Phobos raised his eyebrows, _a prince_?

"So, why have you brought me here, how do you know me?" asked Phobos, crossing his arms across his chest. Faris turned away and began pacing again.

"Nerissa spoke of you often, she said how your intentions to control worlds were unplanned and unadvised," Faris explained, "but I don't care. I know with your help, the Earth and the guardians will fall."

"I like your plans, but did you say, Nerissa?" asked Phobos, frowning. The sorceress would be furious at him for imprisoning her within her own seal.

"Yes, but I fear she has abandoned me. I haven't seen or heard from her in weeks," Faris responded.

"I will help you in your conquest over the earth, but only if I get what I want out of it," Phobos explained, purposely being vague.

"Thank you," smiled Faris.

"What's your plan?" asked Phobos.

"Plan?" questioned Faris.

"You don't know what you're going to do to conquer the earth?" asked Phobos. He had once thought charging head first had been the best way, but he now understood the benefits of planning.

"I was simply going to attack with the new strategy I have come up with," replied Faris, "why?"

"You need to know if this new plan is going to work," said Phobos, "try it out a different world, a weaker world to perfect it. Then we can attack the guardians."

"There is one world I know of which is very weak that I have yet to conquer," thought Faris aloud.

"Perfect," smiled Phobos. The room was filled with harsh red light as a fold appeared in the center of it. Faris walked to it; his hand rested the hilt of his sword, waiting. Out of the fold stepped Nerissa. She looked around and saw Phobos, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You!" she exclaimed in shock.

"If it isn't the sorceress I trapped within her own seal," he mocked. Nerissa closed the fold and stepped towards the Prince of Meridian.

"What is _he_ doing here?" hissed Nerissa.

"I had thought you had abandoned me, so I found help from the one who could provide it," Faris responded.

"Since when did he start speaking like the Oracle?" muttered Nerissa to herself, rolling her eyes at the thought, "As you can see, I have not forgotten about _our_ conquest of earth. I doubt you will receive any help from him though." Nerissa glared at Phobos and walked out of the room. The two boys shrugged and continued their plans for the conquest of a small world near Rokador.

**--- ---**

Taranee explained her thoughts to the others at lunch. They all believed it was possible, but probably unlikely. Reaching into her backpack to get out some unfinished homework, Hay Lin saw Will's bag glowing.

"Will," whispered Hay Lin, "I think the heart wants your attention again." Will whipped around, pulling her bag up onto the table. Cornelia, Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin watched as their friend pulled out the heart. It glowed a sickly olive green, shedding the light onto their faces. Will hurriedly closed her hand around the heart before someone saw it, frowning. She pushed it back in her backpack.

"Puke green, just the color I wanted to see as I was eating," Irma sighed, rolling her teal eyes.

"Do you have the list?" asked Taranee, "what world is it now?"

"Great," frowned Cornelia, picking at the fruit salad on her plate. Will pulled the crinkled piece of paper from her pocket and studied it.

"Láybra," read Will, "the planet of plants."

"that's not _that_ bad, I guess," sighed Cornelia.

"We have to go now!" Hay Lin said, standing up.

"Now?" Taranee complained, "I have a chemistry test next period, and an easy to turn in for English."

"Do you want another episode like in Meridian to happen while we wait?" asked Irma, eager to skip class.

"No," frowned Taranee.

"It's settled," Will stated, "we'll go now and hope it's quick." The four other girls nodded and followed Will into the hallway. The period was well underway and no one was in the halls to see the girls fold away.

"What's this?" asked Hay Lin as they appeared in the new world. The other four girls looked around at the greenery, wondering the same thing.

"I think it's a maze," replied Taranee.

"Didn't we already do a maze?" questioned Cornelia.

"I'll see if I can find the exit," smiled Hay Lin. She leaped into the air, her wings flapping madly as she rose into the sky. She flew above the green hedges, spotting the horizon. Before she could pinpoint the exit, the hedges around her rose higher. Hay Lin tried to out-fly them, but they sped past her, growing together and forming a domed top over the maze. Hay Lin sighed and returned to the ground with the other girls.

"I guess we have to walk around the _whole_ maze," Irma replied, rolling her eyes.

"Or we could go _through_ the maze," smiled Cornelia. She placed her hand to the leaves of the hedge and closed her eyes. The leaves responded to her touch by growing thicker and sprouting bright pink flowers.

"Nice touch," joked Irma.

"But," stuttered Cornelia, "I was going for a hole, why didn't it work?"

"Maybe the plants here have free will?" suggested Hay Lin.

"We have to find the way off of this maze," Will reminded them.

"Well we can't fly out, and we can't walk around, endlessly searching for the exit," frowned Cornelia.

"We don't have to," smiled Taranee. She placed her right hand on the side of the hedge's wall and began walking. "We'll use logic." The four girls followed Taranee down the path. The maze forked and they followed Taranee's hand on the wall to the right. After a few minutes they made another turn to the right and came up to the hedges with blooming pink flowers.

"Um, didn't we start here?" asked Hay Lin.

"But this always works, logic never fails," frowned Taranee. She turned and walked back the way she came, spotting a stone disk hanging in the branches of a section of the hedge. Studying the design, she wondered what it meant.

"Girls come here, look at this," she called. The other four guardians came over, peering into the foliage to take a closer look.

"What is it?" asked Will.

"Look, there's another one over there!" exclaimed Irma. She walked across the path to point it out, but tripped over a stone under the leaves on the ground. "What's this?" Cornelia walked over and called the stone to her hand. It rose and rested in her palms; she studied it as Taranee walked over.

"It has the same designs as the disks in the plants," noticed Will.

"And it looks like this top piece rotates around the bottom part," Cornelia added.

"It's almost like a compass," muttered Taranee to herself, "may I see it?" Cornelia nodded and handed the stone circle to the fire guardian. Feeling the cool rock in her hands, Taranee adjusted the top setting to the design she first noticed on the wall. Studying the disk, she noticed that when she set the first groove on the design, the second, deeper groove pointed at the hedge. Switching the pointers, Taranee followed the direction the 'compass' pointed. She led the group down the maze, searching for another stone with a design.

"Here's one!" called Hay Lin. Taranee set the instrument with the new design and led the girls on. Twenty or so more adjustments led them into a large field. The scene before their eyes shocked them; tall sunflowers lay bent on the ground, their stalks broken cleanly half. Further down the meadow the girls found their enemies.

Phobos and Faris sliced through countless more sunflowers. What surprised the girls was that the flowers were advancing towards them, moving from their own free will. A few of Faris' soldiers hovered in the air, diving down and knocking back the plants that attacked them. The guardians took to the air and advanced on the Rokadorian invaders. Faris knocked another flower to the ground and saw the approaching girls.

"I was wondering when you girls would show," he smiled. Phobos looked up and saw them as well.

"It's delightful that you decided to come, but our work is just about done here," Phobos added, nodding to Faris who called his few men back. Opening a fold, the Rokadorians slipped through it and disappeared.

"Come Phobos," called Faris, about to step through the fold.

"One moment," smiled Phobos. The guardians rushed at the fold, ready to stop Faris from escaping however they could. Phobos held up his hand and sent a beam of green light energy towards the guardians, knocking them to the ground.

"How did you do that?" questioned Faris before he followed Phobos into the fold. The two disappeared and the fold vanished.

"Well, at least that's over," sighed Cornelia.

"But look," sighed Hay Lin, "all these flowers are dead. They must have been the creatures of this world."

"They're all gone," Irma stated. The girls looked over the field of fallen sunflowers, realizing that they had been too late to save any of them.

"If only-" mumbled Taranee.

"No, don't blame yourself Taranee. We wouldn't have made it _here_ without you," Will explained.

"We should go," sighed Irma, glancing around the field. Will nodded and held the heart out to open a fold home. The girls walked through the glittering blue opening, leaving behind the field in Láybra and walking back into the school.

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Episode 23 done! Up next is **Episode 24 (Preparing for the Battle, A Change in Plans) **Three more episodes! Reviews are cool, thanks. Check out my profile for new updates... 


	24. Preparing for the battle

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** long time no update right? This has about one scene that actually matters, otherwise it's just so I have twenty six chapters…

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**Episode 24 (Preparing for the battle, A Change in Plans)**

Faris sighed, pacing back and forth. He tried to focus the arguing persons in the room out of his mind. Phobos and Nerissa had been constantly fighting over how to perfect the battle plans for the conquest of Earth. Faris had started to wonder if he had made a bad choice when he had accepted Nerissa's original deal. Rubbing his temples, Faris released a deep sigh.

"We need more magic," explained Nerissa. In her hand rested her ancient staff with the red jewel.

"We need more soldiers," countered Phobos.

"Magic," snapped Nerissa.

"Soldiers," scowled Phobos, "we _could_ use magic, but only after we recruit more soldiers to fight."

"We don't need more _manpower_, we just need _power_ to best the guardians'," frowned Nerissa.

"More men!" shouted Phobos.

"Magic!" countered Nerissa.

"Shut up!" exclaimed Faris, flinging his hands into the air. Nerissa and Phobos turned to the annoyed prince.

"Would you two stop fighting? The plan is set, it doesn't need any tweaking," Fairs explained, "besides, how could we improve with more magic when I know nothing of it? If the plans did change, we'd add more soldiers." Nerissa frowned and narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"Your strategy had always involved my power, whether you knew it or not," Nerissa frowned.

"And the guardians beat us at every turn," Faris snapped back, "if we want to win, we have to try another way. Clearly magic isn't the way to go."

"Clearly," added Phobos, mocking Nerissa once Faris left the room.

"Oh, what do you know?" Nerissa replied.

"Obviously more than you do," Phobos stated.

"What do you know _of power_? Nothing," Nerissa said, "Power is in magic. The more magic one has the more power they possess."

"While I do agree magic is important, that is not what power is," Phobos answered, "power is only measured by the amount of people who bow down to your might."

"I suppose I should have expected that from a _former_ prince," Nerissa sighed. She walked out of the room, leaving Phobos alone.

**--- ---**

Opening the door to the basement, Cornelia stepped down the stairs. Napoleon frowned from her arms as the two of them were greeted by the others in the room. The black cat jumped out of Cornelia's arms and took a seat on the makeshift table in the center of the group of gathered people.

Will, Matt, and Taranee shared the cot against the wall; Mr. Huggels scurried up onto Matt's shoulder upon seeing Napoleon glance his way. Irma leaned over the chair where Yan Lin sat, while Hay Lin rested on the floor. Caleb had his back to the wall, watching Blunk root through the Lin's trash can.

"Ok," announced Will, "everyone's here."

"The Rokador invasion of Earth is scheduled for less than two months from now," explained Taranee.

"When they attack, you'll need to set up some kind of glamouring effect, so we aren't noticed," Will said, nodding to Matt and Napoleon.

"Why don't we just bring the fight to them?" asked Irma, "then we wouldn't even need any glamouring."

"But at least here we know the area," Taranee said, "there'll be no chance for ambushes."

"And if you go to Rokador, you'll lose the element of surprise," Caleb stated, "someone is going to see you flying up to the castle if you fold there to fight."

"Caleb's right, fighting here would be better," Matt added.

"Do you girls even know what you're up against?" asked Napoleon.

"Oh course," smiled Hay Lin.

"Yeah," stated Cornelia.

"We know," added Irma.

"What Napoleon means girls, is if you're ready for their battle strategies," Yan Lin clarified.

"We saw them fight before," Will explained, "they were just like Yan Lin explained. They fight on the ground with swords and shields."

"But at the last battle, the soldiers were in the air, flying," frowned Irma.

"They might have changed strategies," Napoleon commented.

"Why else would they have been teaching the soldiers how to fly better?" questioned Caleb.

"You'd better find out their plans if you want to be one step ahead of them," instructed Napoleon.

"Now that Phobos is helping them, you can't underestimate him _or_ Nerissa," added Yan Lin.

"I guess we'll go to Rokador then," sighed Will, pulling out the Heart of Candracar. Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin followed Will up the stairs, leaving the boys, Blunk, Yan Lin, and Napoleon in the basement. When the five girls had gathered in the empty restaurant and closed the basement door, Will held up the pink crystal.

"Guardians Unite!"

"Water,"

"Fire,"

"Earth,"

"Air,"

"Quintessence," finished Will. She opened a red fold to Rokador and the guardians piled through.

"This is different," Taranee commented. Hay Lin, Irma, and Cornelia agreed as they tried to look through the dark.

"We're in the castle," replied Will, tucking the heart back around her neck, "I think we're in a supply closet." Taranee lit a small flame on the tip of her finger and verified Will's statement when she saw a broom in front of her.

"Hay Lin, you'll have to be invisible and find Faris," Irma said, "we'll just wait here, in the closet, in the dark."

"Ok, I'll find him," Hay Lin replied, "but after I find him, then what?"

"See what he's doing and if it has anything to do with his plans for Earth!" explained Cornelia.

"Got it," smiled Hay Lin. She disappeared from view and darted from the closet, opening the door only enough to slip through the opening.

Hay Lin walked down the hallway, looking to every doorway for the prince. She heard a heavy sigh and a chair scrapping against the floor from the next open room. Peeking inside, a smiled formed on the air guardian's lips. She floated inside and over to the prince. He sat at a desk, leaning over some papers with a quill in hand. Avoiding a large suit of armor with metal wing plates against the wall, Hay Lin hovered above the desk, watching Faris as he read over the papers. After checking to see that they had nothing to do with the battle for Earth, Hay Lin sighed.

Landing on the ground next to the desk, she watched the Prince of Rokador look around the room and sigh again. Hay Lin leaned against the wall to wait. After flipping through a few papers, Faris got to his feet suddenly and almost walked into Hay Lin. She ducked to avoid his wings and scurried over to the suit of armor. Hay Lin almost did not notice that the door had opened and Phobos had walked in.

"Have you finished arguing with Nerissa?" asked Faris.

"I have come up with a great plan for the battle," Phobos explained. Hay Lin walked over to the two princes to hear the plans.

"Tell me," sighed Fairs.

"When we attack, we should-" The door flung open and hit the wall behind it as Nerissa entered the room.

"His ideas are useless, don't listen to them. They have no planning and will fall apart the moment they see action," she stated, walking closer.

"Peace!" commanded Faris before they could begin arguing again, holding his hands in the air and opening his wings; he instantly doubled in size, "I have thought over the plans we have, and I have too decided that they needed to be perfected."

"Did you see my logic with more soldiers?" asked Phobos.

"I have taken both your ideas into account and have made changes accordingly," Faris explained, "I feel my forces are ready to attack as soon as possible, we will attack within the week." Hay Lin felt her mouth fall open in surprise.

"But what am I to do, sit back and watch?" asked Phobos.

"No, you two will go out to find the guardians and eliminate them. Then my armies can proceed in conquering the world without distraction," Faris explained. Hay Lin watched for a moment more, waiting to see if anything else would happen. Seeing he had gotten his point across, Faris stretched his wings further. His left wing tip shot towards where Hay Lin stood listening, forcing her to jump backwards to avoid it. She crashed into the figure of armor and muttered a soft cry of pain. Faris turned to look behind him, just as Nerissa and Phobos jumped towards the metal.

"Move!" ordered Phobos, pushing Faris aside and firing a blast of energy at the armor. Nerissa followed his attack with a stream of fire. The two attacks hit the suit of armor and melted the ancient metal. Hay Lin opened her eyes and saw the fire had just missed her. Taking to the air, she flew from the room, information in mind.

"What did you two do!?" questioned Faris, checking his feathers to see if any had been singed off.

"Someone knocked over the suit of armor, they were right behind you," explained Phobos.

"No one knocked it over, I did. My wing must have brushed it," Faris countered, "what you did, was destroy an ancient relic from years past! Don't be so jumpy." He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"I bet if he would have known we had saved his life, he wouldn't have minded," Phobos muttered. Nerissa rolled her eyes and left the room as Faris had just done.

**---**

Hay Lin flew down the hall, searching. She found the closet and opened the door, scaring the four girls inside.

"Hay Lin!" exclaimed Irma, "you nearly gave me a heart attack!" Hay Lin ignored her and became visible.

"You guys, Faris and Phobos and Nerissa are planning-"

"Wait Hay Lin," Taranee interrupted, "let's get back first, then you can tell all of us about what you heard."

"Ok," sighed Hay Lin. Will held out the heart and opened a fold back home. The girls walked through it and smiled at the people they had left in the basement. They transformed back as Will closed the opening to Rokador.

"So?" asked Napoleon.

"They're planning on attacking this week!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"What!" shouted Irma.

"Why didn't you tell us?" questioned Cornelia.

"I tried, but-"

"Girls!" called Yan Lin, "enough. Is there anything else?"

"I didn't hear the actual battle strategies, but I did hear Faris say that Nerissa and Phobos would go and find us, so that his armies could conquer Earth," Hay Lin explained.

"But we'll be there waiting for them," smiled Taranee.

"But now what?" asked Matt.

"Now we wait, so keep your eyes open for red folds," Will said, holding the Heart of Candracar in her hands; it sparkled in the light.

* * *

Episode 24 done! Up next is **Episode 25 (The Battle of the Fold) **The finale is next! Just to warn all of you readers, my battle scenes are kinda weak… so we'll see how this works out… I love positive reviews, even simple ones like _love it, keep going,_ are appreciated! Thanks to all! 


	25. Battle of the Fold

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.** Part 1 of the finale! Once again, I warn you my fight scenes aren't the best, they're pretty fast paced. But they are easy to follow, so enjoy.

* * *

**Episode 25 (Battle of the Fold)**

The sunlight sifted through the closed curtains on the bedroom windows. Outside, the day had already begun; the late April sun lit the quiet Sunday street with warm light. Inside, the clock changed to 8:49 AM. Will rolled over in her bed, pulling the covers higher over her head, shielding her face from the incoming sunlight. Mumbling in her sleep, Will's hand tightened around the Heart of Candracar. It hummed softly, giving off a gentle pink glow. Slowly, the colors in the orb shifted. The silver claws no longer clutched a pink crystal, but instead, a miniature Earth.

Brown eyes fluttered open and glanced towards her outstretched hand. Will sat up in her bed, and pulled the heart closer to her face to make sure that she was seeing what she thought she was. Understanding what the crystal was telling her, Will jumped out of her warm bed and began to change into her clothes for the day.

"_Taranee?" called Will mentally._

"_Yes?" came Taranee's quick response, "How are you?"_

"_It's today, the battle is today, the heart looks like the Earth," explained Will_ while pulling on a pair of shoes, _"Tell the others to meet at my house, I'll call Matt."_

"_Ok," replied the guardian of fire._ Will picked up her bedroom phone and dialed Matt's number. He picked up the phone after three rings, and Will explained the situation to him. He told her Huggles and himself would be at her house in a matter of minutes.

Will hung up the phone, left her bedroom, and grabbed a slice of toast to munch while she waited for the rest of the group to arrive. She noticed a sticky note stuck to the fridge and glanced over the scribbled note. _Will, I went to the grocery store, I'll be back at noon –Mom_. The doorbell chimed and Will rushed over to get it.

"Hay Lin, Taranee, Irma," greeted Will as the three girls entered the room.

"Morning Will," yawned Irma.

"So, do you know where the fold is?" asked Hay Lin.

"Not yet," Will replied. She watched the heart continue to imitate the earth's coloring in her hand. The counter top echoed the heart's glow and reflected it onto the ceiling. She walked to the door when she heard a knock and let the remaining members of the group inside.

"Hey Matt," smiled Will. Cornelia and Caleb walked in behind him with Napoleon. Mr. Huggles chattered on Matt's shoulder; he jumped over onto Will and perched on her arm. The room was suddenly crowded as the seven human occupants looked to each other.

"Will, the heart," noticed Cornelia. Everyone turned to look at the Heart of Candracar. The miniature Earth had taken to the air by its own free will and had begun to tug at the chain, pulling Will towards the door.

"Let's go," announced Will. She led the girls of _witch_, Caleb, Matt, and Napoleon out of her living room, outside, and onto the sidewalk. She walked down the streets towards a large park at the outskirts of town and bit her lip. Inside the park's boarders, a giant picnic had already begun; children raced around while their parents grilled and set out food.

"Faris sure picked a great place," muttered Irma.

"How are these people not going to notice anything?" asked Cornelia.

"That's where we come in," smiled Matt. The heart pulled Will into the park and towards a grove of towering pine trees near the northern edge. A bunch of children scurried away when the group approached, running over the nearby set of swings.

Suddenly a bright red light erupted from the center of the trees. Hurrying inside under the umbrella of pine needles, the girls saw the fold glittering between two trees.

"Guardians Unite!" called Will.

"Water,"

"Fire,"

"Earth,"

"Air,"

"Quintessence." When the girls had transformed and landed on the ground, they saw Matt, Mr. Huggles, and Napoleon had assumed their regent forms. Using Lillian's magic, they glamoured the area in the pine grove in case anyone stumbled in. The trees formed a thick barrier on their own, but the magic solidified the fact that no one needed to know what was going on inside.

"What did you turn it into?" asked Taranee, not noticing anything different; the fold still sparkled in front of them.

"If you were one of the people out there, you'd see a door where where the fold is," laughed Matt.

"A door?" asked Irma, "wouldn't that make people want to open it?"

"It's locked," stated Napoleon, his voice deadpan.

"Well, just in case," Cornelia stated, she placed her hand to the ground. The girls watched as a rock wall rose between the tree trunks, blocking entrance to everyone outside. Sunlight filtered in through the top of the trees, lighting up the twenty by fifteen square foot grove of trees.

"Now what?" asked Hay Lin.

"We wait," sighed Will, "once they start attacking we'll have to drive them back through the fold. Since the battle will have already started, we won't have to worry about ambushes on the other side." The girls nodded and prepared to fight the approaching army.

The sun had moved further west in the sky; shadows fell where sunlight had been before. The girls sat picking at the grass around them. The fold continued to sparkle in front of them, and the heart continued to resemble the Earth in Will's hand.

"What's taking them so long?" asked Cornelia, twirling a piece of her blond hair around her finger. Will stood up.

"I'm going to see if I can see what they're doing," she stated. As she walked to the fold she hoped she would not see them. She didn't want to have to fight them on Earth. _Maybe Faris will back out, _she thought at first, but pushed it from her mind_, not with Phobos and Nerissa urging him on. I don't want to think that's they're right across this fold, inches from us. The army's all the way in Rokador, they're far away._ Will felt the heart glow brighter around her neck as she neared the red fold, but it faded away as she poked her head through it.

"What?" she mumbled to herself. Will pulled her head back through the fold and looked to the others with confusion on her face.

"Did you see them?" asked Matt.

"No," replied Will, "all I saw was white mist."

"What?" questioned Taranee.

"But this is a red fold, that means it goes to Rokador," Irma reasoned.

"I know, and this is the fold the heart led us to," Will added.

"Let's see," Hay Lin said. She walked through the fold and disappeared. Taranee, Irma, Will, Cornelia, and Caleb followed her in. Napoleon nodded to Matt to follow them, Huggles and him could keep the magic going without him for awhile.

"What is this place?" asked Matt as he joined the group in the misty new world. The ground was filled with white fog that swirled in spirals as they walked through it. The mist kicked up from the ground floated into the air, filling it with the fog like clouds.

"Look!" pointed Cornelia. The others followed her finger and saw another red fold at the far end of the misty world they had just entered.

"That must be the fold to Rokador," Taranee stated.

"Then what's _this_ place?" asked Irma.

"I think this is the space between our world and Rokador," Taranee reasoned, "we must always travel through this space, but for some reason we didn't this time."

"Maybe _I _did it," Will said, "I kept wanting not to see them, and thinking that they were far away. Maybe instead of zipping through this area and going straight through to Rokador, the heart wanted to help, and widened the gap."

"It makes sense," Hay Lin responded.

"Do our powers work here?" asked Irma, "if so, then we can fight here and not have to worry about people seeing us!" The girls each tried out their powers.

Taranee shot a fire ball into the misty sky; Hay Lin sent gusts of air, mixing up the clouds; Irma formed a pool of water at her feet which Hay Lin froze; Will successfully sent a lightning bolt into the sky which exploded as a firework. Cornelia seemed hesitant at trying out her power. She kicked at the ground she stood on, and saw earth under the white mist at her feet. Pressing her hand to the ground, she forced a block of earth into the air.

"Good," smiled Will.

**--- ---**

The red fold glittered in the afternoon sunlight. Faris pulled back on the reins, calming his horse. He looked out over his army of hundreds of winged soldiers. Most had successfully completed their flight training and were ready to attack.

"Are you ready?" asked Phobos.

"Almost," replied Faris.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Nerissa, drumming her fingers against her staff. The red crystal sparkled in the warm light.

"For the sun to line up with the tower," explained Faris, "its tradition. All major battles must start at sundown, which is marked by the sun reaching the western tower of the castle." Both Phobos and Nerissa raised their eyebrows and looked at one another with the same thoughts of amusement at his traditions.

"Now, we may begin," Faris explained to them, he nudged his winged horse towards the fold and called out to his army, "Let us go and conquer Earth!" He then referred to Nerissa and Phobos, "find the guardians, and get rid of them." His horse trotted through the fold followed by the army.

"Who does he think we are? His lackeys?" asked Phobos.

"He'll see his mistake after the battle," Nerissa muttered. She walked through the fold with Phobos at her heels. Pushing through the army men, Nerissa found Faris reining his horse in circles.

"Where are we?" asked Faris once he saw Nerissa.

"Did you make a fold to _Earth_?" asked Nerissa, annoyed.

"Yes I did," replied the prince.

"Look! Are those the guardians?" questioned Phobos, pointing out across the distance to another fold and small group of people.

"Charge!" called Faris, forgetting his worries. The army rushed forward with Faris at the head.

**--- ---**

"Someone's here," said Taranee. The girls, Caleb, and Matt glanced over to the other fold and noticed the dark mass of moving figures.

"Faris' army," figured Hay Lin.

"Let's go!" announced Will. Taranee, Irma, Hay Lin, and Matt, followed Will into the air. Caleb ran below them, wielding his sword, rushing at the army of winged warriors. Cornelia held back for a moment, but not out of fear. Touching the earth around the red fold, she created a barrier to slow the army's invasion into Earth. When the wall had risen, she sprung into the air, and fluttered away to catch the other guardians.

The two forces met in-between the two shimmering folds, the hundreds of soldiers verses the guardians, Caleb, and Matt. Roughly half of the Rokadorian army stumbled into the air, ready to beat down the guardians to get to the fold.

Swords clashed on the ground as Caleb met the grounded portion of the army. Matt swooped down to assist him, knocking away the soldiers.

Hay Lin blasted the men who flew at her away with powerful gusts of air. They tumbled through the misty sky; some recovered and flew at her again, only to blasted backward once more.

Taranee took aim at the army on the ground, shooting off fireballs at them to slow their progress. Most of the soldiers used their wings as shields to fight off the incoming balls of flame, but others where hit unaware and knocked down.

Irma formed water balls in her hands, and then sent them flying towards the men in the air. The ones she hit tumbled from the sky and landed on their fellow infantry men, shaking their wings to free them from the clinging water.

Cornelia rooted herself to the ground, raising the earth under the mist; tripping the marching men and making them sink into the earth. Will flew over to Cornelia and shouted over the noise.

"Remember what Yan Lin said about the army?" she called.

"What?" questioned Cornelia, sending a boulder towards a group of ten men, it knocked them all over.

"Strike!" called Irma from above, laughing.

"Earth affects them the most," Will reminded her. Cornelia smiled.

"One earthquake, coming up," she grinned. Taking a deep breath, Cornelia pressed both hands to the ground under the mist. She closed her eyes and exhaled; the ground under the majority of the army shook and quaked, parting down the middle. Opening her eyes, Cornelia smiled and deepened the pit.

"Irma!" called Will. Irma turned and saw the soldiers attempting to fly out of the gapping pit Cornelia had just formed.

"Hay Lin, want to give me a hand?" asked the guardian of water. The air guardian nodded and watched Irma send a wave of water towards the army, soaking them all. Blowing a chilling breeze towards the waterlogged soldiers, she watched them freeze in place. Some of the soldiers broke free of their ice bonds only moments later and continued to march towards the walled off fold.

"Irma, fill up the hole with water!" shouted Will.

"Hay Lin, get the rest of the soldiers into it!" called Cornelia, understanding where Will was going with her idea. Irma and Hay Lin complied, and the hole was soon filled with swimming winged soldiers. Will swooped over and sent a lightning bolt straight into the water.

"There," Will nodded, watching a few soldiers escape the electrified water and race back to the fold, escaping into Rokador.

"Where's Faris?" asked Matt. Will landed near him and Caleb on the ground. The other four girls joined them and looked around.

"And where's Nerissa?" questioned Taranee.

"And Phobos," added Hay Lin.

"There!" pointed Caleb, "they're escaping through the fold to Earth!"

"Stop them!" shouted Will. The guardians took to the air and flew towards the fold, watching as Phobos and Nerissa blasted through the rock barrier Cornelia had formed to block the soldiers. Phobos and Nerissa stepped through the fold and disappeared into Earth. Faris urged his horse through after them and also vanished onto Earth's landscape.

* * *

Episode 25 done! **Up next is Episode 26 (The Battle for Earth) **One more episode, and then it's over. How sad… : ( How was the battle scene, kinda short though, please tell me, I love getting reviews! 


	26. The Battle for Earth

**I do not own W.I.T.C.H.**

* * *

**Episode 26 (The Battle for Earth)**

Napoleon watched the red fold ripple like a pond, prepared to face whatever would emerge from it. At first, the only thing that tumbled through was a broken arrow and a bent bow. Mumbling followed the weapon's entrance, but then Phobos tripped onto Earth's soil. Nerissa followed him with Faris atop his winged horse soon after.

"Tell your soldiers not to leave their weapons on the ground, I was nearly-" Phobos' complaints were silenced as Napoleon leapt onto him, knocking the man over onto the ground. Mr. Huggles jumped at Nerissa, clawing her staff away from her hand.

The sorceress sent a blast of water at the creature from her red crystal, knocking him off of her. Faris swung his sword at Napoleon, hopping to dislodge his claws from Phobos' body. Napoleon jumped away to avoid to the sword.

The red fold rippled again, announcing the entrance of the guardians, Matt, and Caleb. Faris saw them appear, frowned, and kicked his horse into the sky. His mount reared, opened its black wings, and took to the sky above. The two flew past the trees and into the daylight.

"Matt!" called Will, "no one can see any of us!" Matt nodded and turned to Huggles and Napoleon. As they glamoured the combatants of both sides, Nerissa blasted a hole through the earthen barrier.

"Done," called Matt. Will took to the air and followed Faris. The other guardians flew after her; Nerissa had also taken to the air, the crystal shinning with power.

Phobos hurried through the opening Nerissa had made in the rock barrier, looking to the sky, following his Rokadorian ally. Caleb ran after him, sword ready; Matt flew after him, ready to assist. Phobos looked backwards as he ran, holding out his hand and shooting beams of energy at the two boys. Caleb deflected them with his sword, sending them flying off into the trees.

Two young boys looked in their direction, laughing as they watched three squirrels throwing acorns at each other. The white squirrel stopped and chucked three or four acorns at the two brown squirrels. The first squirrel picked up a fallen stick and swung it at the incoming nuts, batting them away from him and his friend.

"Look at that!" pointed one of the boys, looking at the sky, his attention no longer focused on the baseball playing squirrels. The second boy glanced upward; he had to squint in the sun to make out the seven flying shapes in the sky. Five hawks circled around two large crows. Each bird dove at the others, trying to knock them out of the sky. The two boys were torn between watching the battling birds in the sky, or the squirrels on the ground.

**---**

Nerissa sent a fireball at Will. Taranee deflected it, giving her and Will a chance to send their own attacks towards the old sorceress. Faris had flown higher in the sky, hoping to leave the guardians far below him, yet Hay Lin had gladly followed him, accompanied by Irma and Cornelia. The three guardians circled him and his horse, hopping to throw off his balance in the air. The horse reared and kicked out at them, snorting and shaking his head.

Lower in the sky, Nerissa smiled and pointed her staff at the two guardians; the red jewel sparkled in the sunlight. Fire erupted from the jewel, flying directly for Taranee and Will. The girls dove out of the way, hearing Nerissa's laughter from above.

"Fleeing from your own power, how pathetic," she smiled, this time directing a jet of water towards them. The liquid hit Taranee, knocking her to the ground below. Will flew down and caught the guardian of fire before she hit the dirt.

"Are you ok?" asked Will, helping her friend to her feet.

"Yeah, did you hear what Nerissa said?" Taranee asked.

"Something about your own power?" questioned Will, "so?"

"What if she meant its really _our_ power, not just the same element?" Taranee figured.

"But how?" asked Will. Taranee look up to the sky, watching Nerissa deflect Irma's water attack with wind, freezing the water into air.

"Will, remember when Nerissa stole Elyon's power?" asked Taranee, "what if she took some of our powers too?"

"But how could she, Caleb had said that Nerissa zapped Elyon's power with that crystal, we weren't given crystals," Will replied.

"But we each had a something that could have acted like one, remember?" Taranee said, her eyes widened with understanding, "the bead, the charm bracelet, the scrunchies, the shell, and-"

"My tiara," Will finished.

"What if that's how she got all of our powers?" questioned Taranee. The two girls were suddenly sandwiched against the ground. Cornelia rolled off the two guardians under her, stood up, and dusted herself off, frowning at Nerissa for knocking her to the ground. Taranee and Will got up as well and looked around. Hay Lin and Irma were fighting a losing battle in the air.

"Are you two done?" Cornelia asked, "we need you up there!" Will and Taranee nodded, leaping into the air to assist the other girls.

**---**

Faris swung his sword at Irma; she dove out of the way, spiraling and twisting in the air to regain her balance. Hay Lin blew a strong gust of wind at the prince, and Cornelia added a barrage of rocks into the mix. Swinging his sword at the earthen projectiles, he reduced most of it to dust. Coughing on the fine powder in the air, Irma directed a stream of water towards the prince and his horse in the air. Hay Lin shot another round of wind at him, hoping Irma and her own element would both hit and freeze him.

The horse ducked to the left to avoid the water, letting it fall from the sky in a smooth parabola towards the ground below. Faris, growing tired of being blown around by wind, held up his sword and deflected the air flying towards him, sending it down to the earth below.

**---**

Caleb spun and sliced into the tree where Phobos had been only a moment before. He heard the Prince of Meridian's laughter and turned to see him in out in the open. Caleb rushed at him. Phobos watched him come, waiting. Out of the sky under the fight above, the water Irma had directed at Faris tumbled down through the air, landing directly on top of Phobos. His white hair stuck to his face and body as he held up his arms, trying to shake the liquid off. Sidestepping to avoid Caleb's sword, he stepped into the path of the deflected gust of wind from above as well. The air met the water, freezing Phobos into an icicle.

Caleb spun again, swinging his sword around his body; the momentum he had built up propelled the blade into the ice cage Phobos had been frozen inside. The frozen water shattered, sending ice shards into the air. Caleb covered his face with his arm as ice rained around him. When the shower of frozen water crystals ended, Caleb looked up and saw Phobos lying on the ground where he had been frozen only moment before.

**---**

Cornelia directed a vine from the ground at the Prince of Rokador. His horse whinnied and kicked out at the moving plant, flying away to avoid it. Faris grinned and swung his sword at the earth guardian when his horse brought him closer. Cornelia landed on the ground near Caleb, catching her breath.

"He's too fast," she breathed.

"_He's_ not too fast," Caleb said, "it's the horse. There has to be some way to get him off it.

"Hay Lin and Irma both tried," Cornelia replied, "you'd need to be faster than the wind." Cornelia sighed and glanced to the grove of trees. At the entrance to the fold lay the bent bow Phobos had tripped over.

"That's it!" exclaimed Cornelia.

"What?" asked Caleb, his eyes followed Cornelia to the fold. He watched her pick up the wooden bow and run her hand over the length of it. The almost snapped part healed together instantly as she ran her hand over it. The guardian of earth smiled and called the branch above her head to her hand.

"What are you doing?" asked Caleb as he came closer.

"Making an arrow," Cornelia replied hastily.

"There's one on the ground there," Caleb pointed out.

"It's not thick enough," Cornelia answered. She pulled a branch with the thickness of her thumb from the tree, touching it at the end and watching leaves sprout where the fletching should have been. She placed her arrow on the bow and aimed at Faris. The words of her camp councilor echoed in her head; Archery. Cornelia grinned and pulled back the bow string. Caleb watched her exhale and release the tension in the bow. The guardian of earth dropped the bow and threw both of her hands forward ,as if she was pushing something invisible.

The arrow in the air doubled in speed, disappearing from everyone's sight except its maker. Cornelia watched with a smile as it hit Faris, propelling him into the air. Acting quickly, she directed a mess of vines from underground into the air to constrict around the horse. Without its rider, the creature hovered in the air, confused. The guardian of earth easily caught the horse and pulled the creature back to earth.

"Great job," responded Caleb, awestruck. Cornelia smiled, blushing, and joined the others in the air.

**---**

Taranee sent a hurried ball of fire at the dismounted prince. He pulled the arrow from his thin armor, quickly examining the superficial scratch it had made on his skin. He avoided the fire only to be hit with a wave of icy water. Taranee and Hay Lin combined their elements together and blasted an ever growing fire at him. The burning air caught under his open wings, shooting him higher into the sky. Sending ball after ball of fire at him, Taranee drove him back down towards the ground. Hay Lin spun in place, the wind following her body, forming a tornado. She released it towards the prince, watching as his wings pulled him into it.

Smiling, Irma raised her hand and pointed her finger at the tornado. A fountain of water exploded from her fingertip, drenching Faris, and halting the tornado. He fell to the ground, dizzy and not sure which way was up. He landed on his feet in front of Caleb. Just as he opened his wings to attack the girls, Caleb hit him over the head with the hilt of his sword. The Prince of Rokador collapsed and fell to the ground. Irma, Cornelia, Taranee, and Hay Lin landed near the fallen Prince, looking around.

"Where's Will?" asked Hay Lin. The girls and Caleb looked to the sky, hoping to catch sight of her above the trees.

"There!" pointed Irma.

"She's with Nerissa!" called Cornelia. The four guardians were about to jump into the air to assist her, but Caleb held them back.

"Wait, look!" he called. Cornelia, Taranee, Hay Lin, and Irma relaxed and watched Will dodge a wild flame from Nerissa's red crystal.

**---**

Will spun upside down; avoiding attack after attack that Nerissa threw at her. The guardian of energy formed a lightning bolt in her hand and flung it at her opponent. Nerissa hovered to the left, smiling as it missed her; she fired off a barrage of rocks at Will. Will countered by blasting each one with a spark of energy; the dust created from the rocks filtered down to the ground, blowing away in the wind.

"Why don't you try _my_ power, or can you only control my friends' elements?" shouted Will.

"Aren't you smart," glared Nerissa, "too bad you figured out the jewel's energy source too late." Nerissa raised her staff over her head; the red jewel glowed angrily.

"QUINTESSENCE!" shouted Nerissa. The red crystal erupted with a snake of lightning. It coiled in the air, waiting for Nerissa's signal to attack. Will hovered in the air, watching as Nerissa ordered it to attack her. The keeper of the heart stayed where she was, she had no desire to move. A smile graced her lips as the lighting snake hissed across the sky, coming closer to her by the second.

"Will!" screamed Hay Lin and Taranee together.

"Move!" cried Irma and Cornelia. Will ignored her friend's voices and waited until the lightning snaked closer to her. Just as it was about to strike, Will reached out and grabbed the lightning snake around the neck. Wincing as she felt the energy coiled within the creature shock her; Will exhaled and threw the bolt back at Nerissa.

"QUINTESSENCE!" Will shouted. The snake straightened and transformed in the air, yielding to Will's power. Will felt the Heart of Candracar pull at the chain around her neck as she watched her element collide with Nerissa. The old sorceress disappeared as the explosion enveloped her in the air.

Feeling faint, Will felt herself lose altitude and start to fall. She flapped her wings harder and stalled the fall for a moment more. Suddenly she felt arms around her, catching her in the air. She looked up and saw Matt; they returned each other's smiles as he landed on the ground. Will rubbed her temples and tried to clear her head as Matt helped her to her feet.

In the air, the explosion yielded fireworks shooting into the sky. A small dark figure dropped from the sky where the fireworks had exploded. A group of small children sitting on the monkey bars cooed and cheered at the fire in the sky. They had enjoyed the birds fighting in the sky and the squirrels beating each up with acorns on the ground; they were happy to return to the picnic to tell their parents about the unusual animals in this park.

Caleb ran over to search for the fallen object and returned a moment later cradling a creature in his arms. He held it out to Will, she gasped.

"How in the world?" she gasped, taking the feline from Caleb.

"She turned back into a cat," laughed Irma.

"Hopefully for good," sighed Cornelia. The five guardians smiled and knew that the battle had been won, Earth was once again safe from evil.

**---The End--- (voice over by Will, similar to the cartoon ending)**

"So we beat the Rokadorian threat," spoke Will's voice, "The Oracle said that Nerissa had used some special spell to really become a cat, and the electricity had caused it to backfire, so she turned permanently into a cat. Guess who gets stuck with her? Yep, me. Luckily, I had Matt's grandfather declaw her, so I don't have to worry about being scratched up again. My mom's happy to have _Mel_ back though."

"Faris and Phobos were sent to a special prison in Candracar, maybe this way they won't be able to break free. The Oracle said he would keep an eye on them, that way we would know when they tried anything," Will explained, "The Oracle also granted me Nerissa's red crystal when I told him about it. I've decided not to absorb it into the Heart of Candracar, but I've yet to find a way to return our stolen powers back to their respective owners."

"Maybe now there can be peace in Heatherfield, well, at least over the summer," Will continued, "Cornelia and I can't wait for next year in school, we'll finally be seniors! I can tell Cornelia is looking forward to being done with school; I think she wants to leave Heatherfield and live in Meridian with Caleb and Elyon. But that's just a hunch, anything could happen…"

--- (Insert line) ---

Episode 26 done! That wraps up the unmade season three of Witch. Since I was making it as if it would be on TV, it did end happy. Thanks to all who enjoyed it and reviewed, my final numbers _before_ this episode were: Total Views 2461, Reviews 39, and 90,326 words !

**Watch my profile for my next W.I.T.C.H. story! ****Coming soon!** (here's a preview thing)

(Summary)- _A friend, a niece, two daughters, and one with the blood of the enemy flowing through her veins. Do they stand a chance at being the new guardians?_

It's _somewhat_ of a sequel to this one, in the fact that things that happened in this story will be background knowledge in the new one, and a world we all know and love will have its revenge, but with brand new villains this time… I hope you'll all read this one as well…

!THANKS TO ALL MY GREAT READERS AND REVIEWERS!


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